


Repair and Varnish

by Gates_of_Ember



Series: Angels on Parade [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: (But really second first time), Basically Will and Nico falling in love all over again, Crushes, Cute little dates, Eventual Smut, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Leo starts the Dead Demigods Club, M/M, Mutual Pining, Or second first kiss I guess, Temporary Character Death, Will and Nico are adorable nerds, mentions of depression, minimal angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-06
Updated: 2016-10-25
Packaged: 2018-08-12 05:36:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 69,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7922497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gates_of_Ember/pseuds/Gates_of_Ember
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Nico di Angelo died, Will's heart was shattered.  Three years have passed, and now that Will has finally gotten his life together, things are starting to look up.  So when Nico returns, Will's whole world is turned upside down - especially when he finds that he still has feelings for the son of Hades.  But it's been years, and things will never be the same as they once were.<br/>That doesn't mean things can't be better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Nico!” Will shouted as the building his boyfriend had disappeared into went up in flames.  The heat from the building prickled at his skin, making his face and eyes feel dry and irritated.  “Nico, _no!”_

“Will!” Reyna barked, her nails digging into Will’s skin.  She jerked his arm back, trying to pull him out of the range of the explosion.  “We have to go!”

“We can’t!” Will cried, struggling against Reyna’s grip.  He wouldn’t leave without Nico.  He had to go in after him, had to make sure Nico wasn’t hurt, had to heal him.  There was no way anyone could be unharmed by that kind of explosion, no way anyone could even _survive...._  

Which had to mean Nico had already gotten out.  Nico was somewhere out there, could be hurt and looking for Will.  “He’ll be back, Reyna – we have to wait for him.  He must have shadowtraveled out of there.  He’s around here somewhere.  He’ll be back in a minute, Reyna, we just have to wait.”  They couldn’t move.  If they moved, Nico might not be able to find them again.

“Please, Will!” Reyna begged, tugging on his arm.  “I promised Nico I’d get you out of here.  Don’t make me force you.”

Will shook his head, fighting Reyna’s hold.  “He’s coming!  We can’t leave without him.  He’ll come.”

He _had_ to. 

 

_Three Years Later_

 

Nico gasped, the cool air burning his lungs.  He coughed as pain prickled in his trachea from disuse, nearly retching from the resulting ache.  The light in front of his eyes was bright – so _bright._ He blinked, clearing his vision.  No, he corrected, it wasn’t particularly bright.  It _felt_ bright because the photoreceptors in his retinas had not been used in so long. 

“Nico di Angelo,” said a voice, scratchy and loud to his ears.  He turned to see the withered face of the Fury Alecto.  She smiled when he scrambled away, the rough earth biting into his palms.  “Your three years are up,” she continued.

Three years?  Nico wondered.  Had only three years truly passed?  It had felt like an eternity. 

Alecto was still speaking.  “You have completed your end of the deal with Lord Hades.  You are now free to return to the land of the living – that is, if you’re still willing to go.”  Alecto bared her sharp teeth in a malicious grin, like she expected him to refuse, to beg for forgiveness and to go on to Elysium where he was _supposed_ to be.

Nico licked his lips, finding them dry and cracked.  No, he wouldn’t stay in his father’s realm.  He was going home. 

* * *

The microwave beeped, alerting Will to the fact that his food had finished cooking.  Getting up from his seat at the kitchen table, he took out a fork and grabbed the instant dinner from the microwave.  It wasn’t exactly healthy, but it was easy and cheap – two things a college student loved. 

Returning to the table, he sat in front of his laptop, scanning over the essay he’d been writing for a secondary application to a med school in Washington.  It was one of his favorite programs; he’d been ecstatic to hear back from them.  It was October and he was almost finished with the application.  His adviser had reviewed it and sent it back with some final suggestions, and now Will was just looking it over one last time before he sent it off.

On the table next to his laptop, his phone buzzed and lit up with Hazel’s name.  Will picked it up and said, “Hey, Hazel, what’s up?”

“Hey, Will,” came Hazel’s voice over the phone.  “Just wanted to check in.  If you’re free tonight, do you want to come over for dinner?  Frank and I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Sorry about that, midterms and all,” Will replied, smiling at Hazel’s invitation.  He’d always gotten along with Hazel fairly well; back when he was dating Nico, they’d gotten to know each other and had become fast friends.  In the year after Nico died on a quest with Will and Reyna, Will had lost contact with Hazel and the others.  He and Nico had been in their third year of college, dating for five years, and living in their own apartment when Will lost him.  With Nico gone, Will had fallen apart and had dropped out of college for a year.  It had been Hazel, along with Reyna, Piper, and Will’s mother, who had helped pull Will back together.  They had convinced Will to get help, and worked with him to find a doctor who had guided Will through the rough phases of his grief.  When he’d moved back to New Rome and started college again, Will had rekindled his friendship with Hazel and he now went over for dinner at least once every couple weeks.

“Thanks, but I actually just sat down to eat,” Will replied.  “I’ve got a few essays to finish up so I can send in my secondary applications.  How about this weekend?”

“Sure, I’ll call you later to set up a time,” Hazel replied.  “And Will?  I’m really proud of you.”

Will smiled.  “Thanks,” he said.  And he was proud, too.  Exchanging a quick goodbye, Will hung up and got back to his application, reading over it a few times before deciding that he was happy with it and saving the file before moving on to work on another report.

Yawning, Will looked at the clock.  It was only about 10pm, but he’d had a nightshift at the Camp Jupiter infirmary earlier that week and he _still_ felt like his sleep schedule wasn’t back to normal.  Deciding to call it a night, he got to his feet and put away his laptop and textbooks before heading to bed.

 

Will was tripping over his own feet, running from something – he wasn’t sure what.  He’d forgotten.  All he knew was that his life depended on it, and he _had_ to live.  There was something important he had to do.

 _I have a patient,_ Will remembered, stumbling on a clump of dirt on the earthy ground as he ran.  He could hear the roar behind him, the pounding of paws and sharp claws in the earth getting closer.  He wasn’t going to make it, he wasn’t–

“Will!”

The sky suddenly brightened and the ground sprouted green grass.  Will tripped and fell onto the green, catching himself and glancing behind him.  There was a hellhound, not far behind, curled up and snoring in the pasture.  Ah, so that was what he’d been running from.  Will could remember it now.  Like this, the hellhound wasn’t so terrifying – it seemed harmless, lying outside in the sun.

“Will!”

Will jerked his head to the voice calling his name.  Standing not far away was Nico di Angelo, dressed in his usual combination of skinny jeans and a t-shirt, sporting a pair of high-tops.  He cocked his head to the side when he saw Will, like he was trying to figure out the answer to a complicated problem. 

 _“Nico,”_ Will whispered, scrambling to his feet.  He ran over to the other boy and pulled him into his arms – _gods,_ it had been too long since he’d held Nico, since he’d felt Nico’s warmth against his chest.  He kissed the top of Nico’s head, finding that his hair was as soft as he remembered it.  “I missed you,” he said, peppering kisses on Nico’s face.  “Gods, Nico, I–”

“Will!” Nico said again, now gripping Will’s forearms to get his attention.  “It’s me.  It’s really me.  Here.  Talking to you.  In a dream.”

The landscape around Will briefly flashed – a dream, that made sense.  That was why the scenes kept changing, why he couldn’t remember everything....

Why Nico was in front of him.

“A dream,” Will repeated, his heart falling.  He’d wake up soon, and Nico would be gone.

“Come on, Will, pay attention,” Nico said, shaking his arms.  “It’s _me,_ the real me.  I’m coming back.”

“I don’t understand.”  Will licked his lips.  “I don’t...Nico, you _died.”_

“Mostly,” Nico replied.  “My body was broken, yes, but I didn’t move on.  I don’t have enough time to explain.  It would get lost in the dream anyway.  Just know that I’m coming back, and I need help.  I’m trying to find Hazel, too.  When you wake up, get in contact with her and make your way to LA.  She’ll know where to go.”  He paused.  “Will, I’m...I’m going to need you.  I’m going to need a doctor.  I’m going to need _you_ to be that doctor.”

“Nico, are you hurt?”

Nico looked away, and Will saw a flash of something run over his body – he suddenly became pale and gaunt, and half-visible, like he was fading into the shadows.  It was only for a moment, and then Nico was back to normal.

“I...I’m not well,” Nico admitted, and Will knew how hard it had always been for him to acknowledge that.  “Promise me you’ll come.”

“I’ll come,” Will swore.  “I’d never leave you when you needed me.”

“I have to go,” Nico said.  “I’m going to find Hazel.  I’ll be out in the morning.  Now, wake up, Will.  I need you to _wake up.”_

 

Will gasped, bolting upright in bed.  “Oh, _gods!”_ he cried, getting to his feet.  By now, he could tell the difference between a dream and a demigod dream – and _that_ had definitely been the latter.

Nico di Angelo had visited him in a dream.  Nico di Angelo needed him. 

Will reached into his closet and grabbed a hoodie, pulled it on over his head, and tugged on a pair of socks and shoes.  He ran into the kitchen, where he’d left his backpack, and emptied it before grabbing his keys, wallet, and cellphone, and hurrying to load the backpack up with nectar, ambrosia, and unicorn draught.  He grabbed his daily antidepressant and took it on the way out the door, barely remembering to lock his apartment behind him, and jumped into his car to drive down a few blocks to the Hazel’s condo.  It was still dark out – maybe three or four in the morning – so he knocked on the door instead of ringing the doorbell, not knowing whether Frank was awake or not.

Hazel answered it, dressed in a similar state to Will – sweatpants and a hoodie – with her hair tied back in a messy ponytail. 

“I’m almost ready,” she whispered, ushering him inside. 

“I’ve got medical supplies,” Will said.  “Can you grab some extra blankets?” 

Hazel nodded and ran to her linens closet to grab some.  “I let Frank sleep,” she said.  “He’s got Praetor duties in the morning, so I left a note behind.”

“We’ll have to call him later,” Will answered.  “Reyna, too.  Gods, we’ll have to call everyone.  How did this happen?”

“I don’t know,” Hazel answered, and Will could tell that she was telling the truth – she had no idea what had happened.  Still, he wondered if Hazel, as a child of Pluto, knew more than she was letting on, but Will knew it wasn't the right time to ask.  Hazel gathered up the items she’d set out to take with her and shoved them inside Will’s offered backpack. 

“We’ll take my car,” Will said.  “I’ve got it parked outside.  If we leave now–”

Hazel shook her head.  “Too slow,” she answered.  “We’re taking Arion.”

Hazel led Will back outside, letting out a loud whistle to summon the immortal horse.  It wasn’t long before a cloud of dust appeared in the distance and a tan stallion appeared in front of them.  Hazel heaved herself up and helped Will on behind her, telling him to hold on to her waist before Arion took off.

Will had to tighten his grip as Arion started moving – he’d traveled with Hazel on the horse a few times before, but the speed always took him by surprise.  It reminded him of rollercoasters that bolted out at top speed without warning, pinning you to the back of your seat and making your heart leap to your throat.

Only Arion was _faster._

He kept his eyes and mouth shut – experience had taught him that lesson – as Arion ran over the hills of California towards LA.  Only about a half hour had passed when Arion slowed to a trot, stopping in front of a building with the words “DOA Recording Studios” displayed proudly above the door.

Hazel summoned up a gold nugget and fed it to Arion before she led Will inside.  The lobby was empty; the podium where Charon normally sat was vacant, the black leather sofas unoccupied.  On one wall, the elevator doors were shut, the letter _U_ glowing above it. 

“Charon’s in the underworld,” Hazel said, taking a seat on one of the sofas to wait.  “He’ll bring Nico to us.”

“We can’t go down there?” Will asked.

Hazel shook her head.  “I can’t – my father has to ignore the fact that I’m alive.  And going down there alone?  Bad idea.”

Will nodded.  He knew that was true – but waiting at the entrance to the underworld and waiting to see the boyfriend that had died three years prior?  It was too much to take in – he had been running around since he woke up, and he had not gotten the chance to stop and think about it yet.

“He’s really coming back,” Will whispered.  “Gods, Hazel, what am I...how is it going to be?”

Hazel looked over at him.  “I don’t know, Will,” she answered honestly.  “I don’t know how it’s going to be between him and me, either.  I don’t know what _he’s_ going to be like, or what he went through, or how this happened....”  She sighed, rubbing her eyelids before she continued.  “But he needs us.  Right now, that’s what matters.  Worrying about what we don’t know isn’t going to help us now.”  Hazel reached into her pocket.  “I need to call Reyna,” she said.  “Can you call the infirmary at New Rome?  Make sure there’s a private room set up for him and doctors available?”

Will nodded, pulling out his own phone and dialing the number.  Hazel stood up and walked a distance away as Reyna answered, speaking in low tones to explain the situation.  Hazel called Frank when she hung up with Reyna, and Will waited for her to finish after he’d called the infirmary, tuning out her voice to give her some privacy.

When she was done, Hazel walked back to him and sat down.  “Let’s not tell anyone else just yet,” she said.  “Not until we’ve got him in New Rome in a stable condition.”

Will nodded in agreement; he wasn’t ready to think about telling anyone else just yet.  He didn’t know how to _begin_ to explain this.  Swallowing, he tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling.

All that was left to do was _wait._

 

Hours later, after the sun had risen outside, the door to the elevator suddenly opened with a chime.  Hazel and Will leaped to their feet as a tall man in a suit walked in – _Charon,_ Will assumed.  Wrapped in one of his arms was a very pale Nico di Angelo.

Nico’s black hair was matted, oily, and sticking up at odd angles.  The skin under his eyes was bruised black and blue, his cheeks sunken and hollow.  His eyes were shut, his arms wrapped around himself as he stumbled along, leaning into Charon’s side.

 _“Nico!”_ Hazel shouted, rushing to the two men, Will alongside her. 

Will clutched at Nico’s hand and was shocked at the lack of real presence he felt.  “He’s fading fast,” Will said, reaching into the backpack and pulling out a vial of unicorn draught – Nico had always responded well to it, more so than nectar and ambrosia.  He didn’t let himself dwell on the fact that this was _Nico,_ didn’t let himself get distracted from the fact that the body in front of him was broken and he needed to fix it. 

Charon handed Nico off to Hazel, who thanked him and lowered her brother to the floor with his head in her lap.  “Gods, he’s so _pale,”_ she whispered, running her hands through Nico’s hair.  His eyes didn’t open – he kept them clenched shut, his body shivering like he was freezing.  Will doubted that he was completely aware of what was going on around him.

“Open his mouth,” Will ordered, opening the vial of unicorn draught.  When Hazel obeyed, he trickled some into Nico’s mouth, then shut his lips, forcing him to swallow.  He grabbed some of the blankets Hazel had brought from home and swaddled them around Nico’s shivering form.  “We need to get him back to New Rome,” Will said.  “Can you call Arion?”

Hazel nodded, raising her fingers to her mouth and letting out a sharp whistle.  “He’ll be waiting outside,” she said.  “Let’s move.”

Will put away the supplies he’d taken out but left Nico wrapped in the blankets and heaved Nico up, holding him against his chest as he breathed in the musty smell of earth emanating off Nico’s shivering form.  Hazel took the backpack and led the way outside, where they found Arion waiting.  Leaving the backpack on the ground, Hazel mounted the stallion before helping Will lift Nico on behind her.  Will grabbed the backpack and pulled himself up last, wrapping his arms around Nico and holding onto Hazel’s waist as Arion took off.

The half hour back to New Rome, Will could only stare at Nico’s form in his arms, and could only think about how faint his essence felt.  It was worse than Will had ever seen it – worse than after Nico had shadow traveled across the globe to bring the Athena Parthenos to Camp Halfblood.  Nico was _alive,_ yes, but if he couldn’t get him stable soon, Will might lose him again.

When Arion stopped in front of the infirmary in Camp Jupiter, a group of Apollo’s children and legacies were already waiting for them, and they rushed to help Nico off of the horse’s back.  Will and Hazel hurried after them as Nico was carried inside and laid out on a cot in a private room, forced to drink more unicorn draught, and wrapped in so many blankets that he could barely be seen under the mountain on top of him.  Hazel waited out of the way by the door as Will forced open the curtains covering the window to let in the light – sunshine had always done Nico some good. 

“We need to get him solid enough to take an IV,” Will said, making his way back over to Nico and the medics huddled around him.  “Get a drip ready with diluted nectar.”

Someone rushed to obey, but the others exchanged glances.

“Will,” one of his Roman siblings said hesitantly.  “Maybe you should let us handle this.  You aren’t...isn’t this a bit much for you?”

Will fixed him with a glare.  “I knew him best,” he said.  “I was the one who took care of him when he got like this.  I know, better than anyone, how to fix this.  So, yes, I’m emotionally compromised.  Yes, I’m terrified.  But I still need to be here because I’m still the most qualified to take on this kind of case – no one else has experience with this like I do.”  He looked down at Nico’s pale face again, at the bruises beneath his eyes and the sunken pallor of his cheeks, and he said, “But I’m going to need help.  I can’t do this on my own.  I need your help to keep me together.”

One of his siblings – he didn’t see which – put a comforting hand on his arm.  “We will.  Just tell us what to do.”

Will swallowed, forcing himself to forget that this was _Nico,_ and making himself remember that this was a _patient._ “A satyr named Gleeson Hedge developed a formula that helped keep Nico solid.  I should have it in my notes.  I need someone to go to the archives and pull out Nico di Angelo’s file.”

 

After Nico became stable enough for Will to get an IV in his arm, the room began to clear out, leaving one of the Roman medics on duty as Will stood by the door with Hazel, watching Nico breathe and listening to the beep of the monitor signaling that his heart was indeed beating. 

That Nico di Angelo was alive.

“You knew, didn’t you?” Will asked, avoiding Hazel’s gaze as he looked back into the room at Nico’s body. 

“I didn’t _know,”_ Hazel replied.  “Yes, I felt that something was _different,_ just like Nico and I could tell that something was off when Leo died.  Neither of them made it to judgment.  But I didn’t _know,_ Will.”

Will nodded solemnly before saying, “You didn’t tell me.”  He was surprised by how bitter his voice sounded – he hadn’t meant for it to come out that way.  Still, he had a hard time regretting it.

He could feel Hazel’s eyes on him, looking him over, but refused to look her way.  “No,” Hazel answered.  “I didn’t.”

Will grunted in acknowledgement before asking, “Did you tell _anyone?”_

“Frank,” Hazel answered honestly.  “And Reyna.”

“But not me,” Will summed up, unable to keep the jealousy out of his tone.  “Not the person who was in love with him.”

“Do you blame me?” Hazel asked, folding her arms and leveling Will with a glare that Will studiously avoided.  “Will, what if I’d been _wrong?_ Have you forgotten the state you were in when he died?  If I’d gotten your hopes up like that, it would’ve destroyed you.”

Will’s chest tightened at the mention of the things he’d done during the year following Nico’s death.  How he’d lost his will to work, his will to _dream,_ how he’d left school and turned to a life that seemed _easier._

He thought of the number of nights he’d tangled in bed with some nameless person who _wasn’t_ Nico, desperate to forget the pain in his heart.  He thought of how it always hurt the morning after, how he’d wanted to stop so badly, but the rush of hormones had been addictive – that taste of a temporary sweet release had been something he couldn’t give up so easily.  Then there had been the pit of self-loathing Will had fallen into, the dark thoughts he’d entertained....

Will choked on a sob at the memories, his hand flying to cover his mouth as his eyes burned with tears.  _“Gods,_ Hazel,” he gasped, his eyelashes growing wet.

Hazel reached out and placed a comforting hand on Will’s shoulder.  “I’m not happy it happened, Will.  But I understand.  If there was ever any doubt, you’ve redeemed yourself since then.  But now there’s one more thing you have to do.”  She nodded into the solitary room in the infirmary, towards Nico’s body.  “It’s not fair to keep him in the dark – and _you_ have to be the one to tell him.” 

Will nodded, knowing that Hazel was right.  He’d atoned for his wrongdoings, for how he’d used other people in Nico’s place, attempting to soothe the ache in his heart, but now he had to face Nico himself. 

Because Nico deserved to know the truth.

“Not yet,” Hazel continued.  “When his condition improves.”

With a final pat to Will’s shoulder, Hazel left Will alone with his thoughts, staring at the sleeping form of Nico di Angelo and facing the haunting memories of his sins.

* * *

Nico woke up from his dream slowly, squinting when the bright light of the room hit his eyes.  The ceiling was white.  He was lying on his back, covered in stiff sheets. 

Sheets.  He moved his fingertips, just to test if he could, and he felt like he was aware of every single thread in the fabric he was laying on.  

 _I’m back,_ he remembered.  His three years of labor under Hades were complete.  He’d returned to the land of the living.

He was in a hospital, or some variation thereof, if the smell was anything to go by. 

 _Smell._ He could smell.  It smelled like chemicals.  Like cleaners.  Like detergent.

Blinking, he found that he recognized his surroundings.  This was New Rome – it was the infirmary the demigods of Camp Jupiter used.  He’d been there before, years ago.

He heard movement to the side, and turned his head toward it.  His neck cracked when he moved it, relieving a tension that Nico hadn’t noticed before then.  There was a blond man dressed in light blue scrubs, his back to Nico as he looked over something on a table against the opposite wall. 

It was _Will,_ Nico realized.  He didn’t remember coming back, he didn’t remember Will coming for him, but he must’ve.  Will came for him, just like he’d promised. 

Nico needed him to turn around, needed to see his blue eyes and the freckles that splashed across his cheeks.  He needed to see Will in order to confirm that this was _real,_ that he was truly back.  Nico tried to call out, but his throat, rough with disuse, made no sound.  Licking his lips, he tried again, this time managing to squeak, _“Will.”_

The man stilled before he turned around, facing Nico’s bed with a clipboard in hand.

And it _was_ him.  Nico felt his eyes widen in shock – maybe a part of him had been expecting that it wouldn’t actually be Will.  Maybe a part of him doubted that Will would’ve come for him. 

But it _was_ Will.  Will _had_ gone to rescue him. 

Will said nothing, his blue eyes fixed on Nico’s, his pink lips parted.  Suddenly terrified, Nico realized that he had no idea how to act – what do you say to the man who loved you three years prior?  To the man who watched you _die?_

Will didn’t seem to know what to do, either.  He stood silently, staring at Nico as he held onto his clipboard with a white-knuckled grip.  Finally, Nico smiled awkwardly, thinking back to when Will had nursed him back to health after the battle with Gaea, and croaked, “Just like old times, huh?”

Will dropped his clipboard and fell to his knees in front of Nico’s bed, sobs shaking his body as he pet Nico’s hair and face with calloused hands that felt somehow soft on Nico’s skin.  _“Nico,”_ he whispered, his eyes puffy and red.  “Gods, _Nico._ Nico, I’m so sorry.  _Nico.”_

 _“Will,”_ Nico answered, putting his hand on top of the one Will had resting on his cheek.  It was then that he noticed the IV in his arm, dripping diluted nectar into his system – he ignored it, focusing instead on the feeling of Will’s hand on his face.  It felt so _soft_ and _warm,_ so _good._ It had been so long since he’d felt the warmth of another human body, so long since he’d had any kind of physical contact.  He was shocked by the tears that fell from his eyes.  It felt so comforting, so secure – and he didn’t want Will to remove his hand. 

But Will did, after a few minutes, and he sat back on his knees, staying level with Nico.  Nico mourned the loss of Will’s hand, and when Will spoke, his heart dropped.  “I’m sorry, I...I shouldn’t have broken down like that.  I ought to be a better doctor.”

Was Will already a doctor, then?  No, that didn’t make sense.  Will had been in his third year of undergraduate when Nico had died, and the deal he’d struck with Hades had only lasted three years.  Will couldn’t have gotten his MD yet – he must be in med school.

“How...how are you feeling?” Will asked, his hand returning to trace Nico’s jaw.

Nico swallowed at the contact, his heart leaping.  He prayed to every god he could think of for Will not to remove that hand.  It was so warm; it had been so long since he had last felt anything like that.  “Sore,” he rasped.  “Everywhere.”

Will nodded, his hand tracing up and combing Nico’s hair behind his ear.  “You’ve been sleeping for a few days,” he said.  “You’ve woken up a few times, but only briefly, and you weren’t fully aware.  You probably don’t remember.  You were fading badly when we found you, but your condition is improving.”

“Hazel?” Nico asked, his eyes darting toward the door.

“She’s come to visit you every day,” Will answered, still threading Nico’s hair in his fingers.  Nico loved that feeling – Will’s hand soothingly massaging his scalp, relaxing the ache in his body.  Grounding him and reminding him that he was really there.  “So has Reyna.  The others – the seven and company, I mean – they came here, to New Rome, as soon as they heard.  They’d all love to see you, when you’re ready.”

Nico licked his lips and nodded.  His heart throbbed at the idea of seeing the others – Piper, Jason, Percy, Annabeth, Leo, and Frank....  Even Gleeson Hedge, Mellie, and little Chuck.  The young satyr must have grown so much over the years.

“Nico,” Will said, his thumb tracing over Nico’s cheek bone.  “You don’t have to talk about what happened, if you don’t want to.  But, if you do, any one of us would listen.  When you’re ready.”

Nico didn’t reply, but he acknowledged Will’s words – and no, he wasn’t ready to tell them exactly what had happened.  He wasn’t ready to relive the terror that was the _nothingness_ he’d endured the past three years. 

“Also,” Will cut in, disrupting Nico’s thoughts.  “I wanted to apologize.  When you came to me, in that dream, and I...I....”  Will cleared his throat.  “The way I acted – that was just...I thought it was a dream.  It was a dream to me.  It wasn’t....”

Nico swallowed, remembering how Will had kissed his face and hair in that dream, remembering the faint ghost of a touch that he’d imagined he could feel.  “Right,” he said, ignoring the way his chest throbbed.  It had been three years.  Will’s life had continued, even if Nico’s hadn’t.  Will had had enough time to get over Nico, to move on and have new relationships.  “I get it.  It didn’t mean...it was a dream to you.  A vision from the past.”

“No,” Will said as he cupped Nico’s cheek.  Nico didn’t understand why Will was still touching him, but he hoped Will wouldn’t stop.  His hand felt so nice against Nico’s skin.  “I just...I meant...if it wasn’t welcome, I wanted to apologize.  I didn’t ask first.”

Nico opened his mouth to reply, but no sound came out, and Will was speaking again before Nico could think of something to say.

“I can call Hazel, if you want,” he said.  “She told me to let her know when you wake up.  If you’re up for a visitor....”

Nico nodded, and Will pulled away, getting to his feet and heading for the door.  “I’ll send for her, then,” he said, seemingly oblivious to how cold Nico felt without Will’s hand touching him.  “I’ll...uh...just...hang tight.  Someone will be here soon.”

With that, Will rushed out, leaving Nico alone in his room.  Gods, he hadn’t realized how _awkward_ it would be between the two of them.  Three years – _three years._ Of course Will had moved on since then.  Maybe he was even in a relationship now – Nico didn’t know, and he couldn’t begin to guess.  Will Solace would be a different person than the one he’d left behind when he struck his deal with Hades after his death.

A few moments later, Roman child of Apollo entered his room and greeted him before she removed the IV from his arm and offered him some unicorn draught.  She told him that Hazel was on her way – she’d been with the fifth cohort in training, but had left as soon as Will called. 

The child of Apollo walked out the door before Nico could think to say thank you, leaving him alone in the room again.  He stared at his hands, remembering the feeling of Will’s fingers on his face and in his hair.  Hadn’t that _meant_ something?  Or was it just that Will had missed him and had lost his composure for a second? 

There was movement at the door again, and Hazel came bursting into the room.  “Nico!” she cried, her face lighting up and her lip quivering as she ran to his bedside and threw her arms around his neck.  “Oh, _gods,_ Nico.”

Nico held into her quivering body and buried his face in her neck, a comfortable sense of nostalgia washing over him at the familiar scent of her caramel-colored hair.  “Hazel,” he whispered, his voice muffled by her curls.

“Gods, Nico, I missed you,” Hazel sobbed, clinging to him tightly.  “I don’t understand.  What – how....”  She paused, pulling back and holding his cheeks between her hands, staring into his eyes as if she had to see him to believe he was really back.  “You don’t have to tell me.  Just... _Nico.”_

“I made a deal with him,” Nico blurted out – he had to tell someone what had happened.  The logistics of it, at least; he wasn’t ready to tell them _exactly_ what he’d been doing for three years.  “I wasn’t ready to die.  I didn’t want....”  Nico stopped, wrapping his fingers around one of Hazel’s wrists, as if that could keep him grounded in reality.  “He let me live, but he couldn’t do it without demanding some sort of payment...without me proving that I was worthy of a second chance.  So I made a deal – three years in the fields of punishment, and if I still wanted to return, he’d let me go.”

“Oh, _gods,”_ Hazel said, leaning down to kiss his forehead.  Nico was relieved when she didn’t ask for the details about his punishment – she didn’t ask for any more than he was willing to offer.  “Nico, I didn’t know what to do.  I felt something different, like with Leo’s death, but I didn’t _do_ anything about it.  I didn’t want to mess with death, like you always told me not to, and I was so sure you’d make it to Elysium.  How could I take you from that?  But I knew...I _knew_ it was different.  I could’ve done something, I could’ve _helped.”_

“No,” Nico assured, taking his hand off her wrist to stroke her hair.  “You were right, Hazel.  You thought with your head, just like you needed to do.  I had to do my labors alone.  There was nothing you could’ve done.”

Hazel nodded tearfully, her eyes red and leaking onto her cheeks. 

“Hey,” Nico said, wishing the tears would stop.  He swiped his thumb over her cheeks to dry her skin.  “Don’t cry, Hazel.  I’m back.  I’m...I’m okay.”  Nico put his hand over the one that Hazel had resting on his cheek, then he felt something on the back of one of her fingers.  “What’s...?”  Nico took her hand and held it in front of him, eyes widening at the sight of the diamond ring on her finger.

Hazel smiled through her tears.  “Frank...Frank and I got engaged,” she managed.  “We’re getting married next year.”

Nico’s mouth felt dry when he tried to reply – _gods,_ he’d missed so much.  He regretted that he hadn’t been there to congratulate her when it happened and that he hadn’t been there for Frank to call when he needed advice on how to propose.  “I-I’m happy for you,” he managed.  “That’s...wonderful, Hazel.  It’s great.”

“I wish you could’ve....” Hazel started, her voice cracking at the end.  “I cried so hard when I thought about you not being there for the wedding.”

“Hey, I wouldn’t miss it,” Nico assured, squeezing her hand.  “I promised to be your flowerboy, remember?”

Hazel laughed shakily.  “Frank and I remembered that,” she said.  “When I...when I told him that I missed you, that I wanted you to be there to walk me down the aisle...he brought it up.  I laughed until I cried.”

Nico bit his lip at her response – he’d caused her so much _pain._ But, beside that....  “You want me to walk you down the aisle?” Nico asked, his belly feeling warm at the thought. 

Hazel nodded.  “Would you?  I’d love that.  Would you dance with me at the reception in Pluto’s place?  He won’t be able to go - you know he has to ignore me.  So if you’d be willing to play the role–”

“Yes,” Nico said immediately, his eyes burning with tears.  “Yes, Hazel, _yes._ Oh, gods, you’re getting _married.”_ He squeezed her hand, smiling.  “I’m so happy, Hazel.  You and Frank are so good for each other.”

“And now you can be there,” Hazel said, taking her hands away from Nico to dry her eyes.  “Oh, Nico, you have no idea how much better I feel about the wedding now.”

Nico laughed quietly, which felt strange.  It was like his muscles were still trying to figure themselves out and laughter just wasn’t something his body was quite ready for.  He reached out and gripped Hazel’s arm, wanting to reestablish some kind of contact between them.  “You’re going to make me the godfather of your children, right?”

Hazel slapped his arm gently.  “Nico!” she scolded, before she sighed in resignation.  “Some things just don’t change.”

* * *

Will woke up to the sound of his phone ringing.  A glance at the screen told him it was from the infirmary, so he answered quickly.

“This is Will,” he said, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

“Will, we’re having a problem with Nico,” said the voice on the other end, which Will recognized as belonging to one of his younger Roman half-sisters, Kallie. 

Will shot out of bed, hurrying over to his sock drawer and pulling out a clean pair.  “You need me to head over?” he asked.

“Please do,” Kallie said.  “It’s a nightmare.  We can’t get him to calm down, and he won’t wake up.”

“On my way,” Will said.  “Do your best to keep him stable.”

Will tugged on a pair of shoes before rushing out the door, taking his car to get to the infirmary faster.  Once he was there, he rushed back to Nico’s room to find Kallie and a few others around him.  Nico was hyperventilating but completely immobile, still in a deep sleep.

Will waved the others aside, approaching Nico and kneeling beside him.  He took Nico’s hand and started to hum – it was an ancient hymn to Apollo, one he and his siblings sang over Nico following the Giant War.  It had always soothed Nico, had warded off the bad dreams.  He added a hymn to Hypnos in for good measure, holding onto Nico’s hand until Nico gasped and shot upright, and then clawed at Will’s shirt, sobbing and choking on his own breath.

“Nico, you’re okay,” Will said, releasing Nico’s hand and standing up.  “You had a nightmare.  You’re in New Rome and–”

Will broke off as Nico clutched at his body, burying his face in Will’s chest.  _“Will,”_ Nico croaked.  He was clinging to him so tightly, and Will wanted to hold him back.  He wished he could give Nico the comfort he yearned for.

But he couldn’t.  Will put his hand on Nico’s shoulder, gently pushing him away.

Nico looked up at him and Will saw his eyes shatter, like he’d been betrayed.  Will wanted to rush in and pick up the pieces, to put Nico back together and never let him get hurt again.

“You’re not my Will, are you?” Nico whispered.

Will felt his chest throb.  No, he couldn’t claim that he was.  He wasn’t sure that he deserved to be.  “I’m so sorry, Nico,” he said.  “I’m so sorry.”

Nico sobbed, throwing his arms back around Will, his shoulders shaking.  Will let him – a part of him thought he should force Nico to let go and that he shouldn’t taunt Nico with what had been.  But he let Nico hold him for now.

Nico cried until he fell back asleep.  Will pried Nico’s arms off of him, maneuvering Nico to lay down in the bed.  The movement woke Nico briefly and he called out to Will, but Will hushed him.  “I’ll take care of you, Nico,” he whispered.  “Go back to sleep.”

Nico closed his eyes again and Will turned away, nodding to Kallie and gesturing for her to talk to him outside.

“Thanks for calling,” Will said. 

“We did it because it was in the best interest of the patient,” Kallie said. “Look, Will, you’d better not think we’ll let you be on call for several days in a row, because–”

“I know,” Will interrupted.  “I’ll write up a report, give you guys some instructions on how to handle this.  I trust you guys to take care of him.  That being said, I expect you to call me if you need advice, if you have questions, or if you need me to come in.  I promise not to act irrationally and take over his care completely, but I need to be able to trust that you won’t keep important things from me.”

Kallie nodded.  “Agreed,” she said.  “Nico’s in your charge, Will.  You’ll know everything that happens.  Just remember to take care of yourself, too.”  She hesitated.  “We worry about you, Will.”

Will sighed, reaching out to ruffle his sister’s hair.  “I promise I will,” he said.  He would try.  Will could already feel himself slipping into the darkness that had consumed him three years ago.  He couldn’t let that happen again.

“Then start by going home to get some sleep.  We’ll take it from here.”

* * *

Nico laughed when Percy pointed to the picture of Athena indiscreetly staring daggers at him from her seat at Percy and Annabeth’s wedding.

“Man, it was terrifying,” Percy said, leaning back into the chair he’d pulled up beside Nico’s bed in the infirmary.  “She was like that the whole day!  I half-expected her to pop up and shout ‘I object!’”

“She wouldn’t have done that,” Annabeth said with a chuckle.  “She was content to be passive-aggressive the whole evening.”

Nico smiled, his fingers tracing over the lines of Annabeth’s dress on a photo of her covering the next page of the album.  “You look beautiful,” he said.  “I wish I could’ve been there.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Annabeth and Percy exchange a glance.  Sighing, Annabeth reached out and took the photo album filled with pictures of their wedding from Nico, closing it and setting it down on the table beside his bed.  “Nico, Percy and I wanted to talk to you about what happened,” she said, reaching out to hold one of his hands. 

Nico met her grey eyes for a moment before her gaze became too intense for him, forcing him to look away.  “Oh,” he whispered.  He wasn’t sure that he was ready to talk about it just yet, especially not after the episode he’d had a few nights ago.  There had been other nightmares since then, but Will didn’t have to be called in again.  With Will’s direction, the other medics knew how to calm him down and get him to sleep again.  Will had already sat down with him and told him that it would be good to talk about his nightmares, whether that was with him, one of Nico’s old friends, or even a specialist that Will said they’d call in, if Nico wanted.  Nico had asked to have some time to think about it.  Nico hadn’t had a counselor before; even after the Giant War, he’d resisted it when Will brought it up.  Back then, it had taken Nico a while to agree to the antidepressants, too; but once Will had started to explain the science behind how they worked, going on and on about serotonin and synapses and dendrites and other words that gave Nico a headache, Nico had agreed to it just to get Will to shut up.

But the antidepressants had helped.  And this time, when Will brought up antidepressants, Nico agreed to it without hesitating.

Since Will had suggested that talking to friends would help, he’d had visits every day – but he still felt like he needed a bit more time to process his surroundings before he opened up to anyone about exactly what had happened.

“Look, Nico, you don’t have to tell us anything if you don’t want to,” Percy intervened, reaching to put his hand on the sweatpants covering Nico’s knee.  “We just want to know one thing.  Was it Tartarus?”

Nico glanced up and looked at the concern in their faces, remembering that the three of them had a shared struggle – they would never forget that place; the endless suffering in the deepest pits of hell.

“No,” Nico said, squeezing Annabeth’s hand.  “It wasn’t.  I promise.”

The two sighed in relief.  “Good,” Percy said.  “Gods, we were so scared that you’d gone through that again....”

“It was the fields of punishment,” Nico blurted out, and Percy paled, choking on his words, while Annabeth’s eyes closed as if she’d feared as much.  “It...I don’t want to talk about it,” Nico continued.  “But...it wasn’t Tartarus.  At least it wasn’t that.”

“And I’m glad it wasn’t,” Annabeth agreed.  “But, Nico, if you have...you know, problems, you can always talk to us.”

“I know,” Nico answered.  “And maybe I will, given a bit of time.”

There was a light knock on the door before Will came in wearing a pair of jeans and a green surgeon’s shirt.  “Hey, Percy; hey, Annabeth,” he greeted.  “I can wait outside, if you need more time.”

Annabeth shook her head.  “No, we were just finishing up,” she said.  Leaning over, she pressed a kiss to Nico’s forehead.  “We’re just a phone call away, if you need us,” she reminded. 

“But we’ll come back to check in again,” Percy assured, ruffling his hair.  “Promise.”

The two walked by Will on their way out, but not without giving Will a few intense glances that Nico pretended not to notice.  Clearing his throat, Will shut the door behind them.  “I’m...uh...going to check your vitals,” he said, sitting in the chair Annabeth had vacated.  Nico held out his hand obediently, allowing Will to wrap his fingers around his wrist to check for any abnormalities.  Nico fought the blush on his cheeks, determinedly not looking at Will’s handsome blond hair.  He’d liked people touching him since he got back, but it was always special when _Will_ was the one touching him, even if it was as simple as a hand on his wrist.  Nico always felt more rooted in reality with Will’s skin on his.

That, and he was embarrassed about what had happened a few nights ago, when Will arrived to wake him from his nightmare.  His memories of the event were fuzzy, but he recalled the way he’d latched onto Will, remembered asking if Will was _his._

He also remembered that Will didn’t say he was.

“Not bad,” Will said, getting up to make note of that on the clipboard hanging from the door.  “You’re...uh...coming along pretty well.  You’re gaining back quite a bit of solidity, too.”  Nico wondered if Will’s subtle healing touches were helping with the fading, but he decided not to comment. 

“I’m a better patient than I used to be,” Nico joked, trying for a bit of humor. 

It took Will longer than he expected to respond.  “You...weren’t so bad,” he said, his back still towards Nico.  “I mean, yeah, you’re...you’re progressing well.  You’re eating well.  You’re sleeping well.  Overall, you’re doing...uh....”

“Well?” Nico prodded in a teasing tone.  He caught sight of the tips of Will’s hears turning red – he’d always loved the way Will blushed with his entire body. 

But this wasn’t the Will he knew, Nico reminded himself. 

“Yeah,” Will said, making a final note on the clipboard and turning back around.  “So, you have a nice talk with Percy and Annabeth?” he asked, and Nico thought it sounded awkward. 

But _why?_ Was it because of the way Nico had acted when Will had woken him from his nightmare?  Was he uncomfortable because Nico had held him so desperately?  Of course Will was.  After all, he and Will were....

Nico frowned.  What were they?  Ex-boyfriends?  For all Nico knew, Will could be seeing someone else now.

But Nico remembered the way _Will_ had acted when Nico had woken up and called out to him the first time.  He remembered Will crying over him, remembered Will’s hands touching him....

“Uh, yeah,” he said, finally answering Will’s question.  “It was good.”

Will nodded, his eyes darting around the room.  “Good,” he said.  After a pause, he cleared his throat and said, “Hey, so, it might be good for you to...you know, get some sun and fresh air.  So...maybe we should go outside and take a walk.  Sound okay?”

“You’d come with me?” Nico asked before he could stop himself.

“Yeah, yeah, of course,” Will answered.  “I’m...you know, your doctor, so....”

Nico swallowed.  And was that Will making excuses to let Nico down lightly?  Or was he nervous and making excuses so that Nico wouldn’t turn _him_ down? 

“I’d like to go outside,” Nico said anyway.

“Right, okay,” Will said, reaching under Nico’s bed and pulling out his hospital slippers.  He handed them to Nico, who slid them on and got to his feet.  Will jerked his head toward the door, motioning for him to follow, before stepping outside and leading Nico through the halls of the infirmary and exiting the building. 

Nico squinted at the sunlight, shading his eyes with his hand as the midday heat hit his skin.  Being October, it was starting to cool down, but it still wasn’t _cold._

Will stood still for a moment, like he was contemplating saying something, before he started to move, motioning for Nico to walk beside him.  “So, I hear Hedge came to visit yesterday?”

Nico nodded.  “Yeah, he did.  It was nice.  He told me all about Mellie and little Chuck.  Wouldn’t stop reminding the doctors to give me more vitamins.”  Nico glanced at Will’s hand before tearing his eyes away.  He wanted to reach for it, to lace their fingers together, but he didn’t know if Will wanted that, too.  He didn’t know if that was an okay thing to do – but he was pretty sure it _wasn’t._ “And I swear, he’s recorded every moment of Chuck’s life over the past three years and was sure to show me _everything.”_

“Yeah, he’s always like that,” Will laughed.  Nico smiled at the ease that was beginning to creep in Will’s voice.  “Sorry I couldn’t be here yesterday,” Will went on.  “I had lots of things to do for class and I couldn’t make it in.  I called the infirmary to check up, though.”

“That’s okay,” Nico assured.  And yes, he had been disappointed not to see Will the day before – it was the first day that he hadn’t checked in. 

Will didn’t answer, instead looking down at his feet as they walked.  The ease that Will had shown briefly before then was now gone, replaced by that awkwardness that was always there at some point whenever they saw each other. 

“Look, Will,” Nico started.  “I’m sorry about the other night.  When I...um...I sort of latched onto you and it probably made you uncomfortable.  So, like...sorry about that.”

“Don’t be,” Will answered.  “It’s okay, I’m not...I mean....”  Will broke off with a sigh.  “You’re in a lot of pain.  I know that this is...it’s weird.  Probably weirder for you than it is for any of us – _gods,_ this might be weirder than coming to the 21st century from the 40’s.  You’re seeing all these people that you used to know.  That’s _scary.”_

Nico nodded, his heart dropping; it sounded like Will was referring to himself as someone Nico “used to know,” like they were nothing to each other now.  Which, Nico supposed, wasn’t totally inaccurate.  “Yeah,” Nico replied.  “It’s...it’s hard to think that I missed as much as I did.”

“And I get that.  I mean, I can’t _totally_ get it.  This is _crazy,_ Neeks.”  Nico blushed at the use of his old nickname, turning aside in the hopes that Will hadn’t noticed.  “I want to help you.  So if you need anything from me, just ask, okay?  I don’t want you to be embarrassed, or ashamed, or nervous, or...or whatever it is that you’re feeling.  Let’s just get through this, alright?  We’ll work together.”

Nico nodded.  “Yeah.  So...friends?”

Will smiled kindly, holding Nico’s eyes.  “Friends,” he agreed. 

So maybe Nico couldn’t have Will.  That was okay.  But maybe there was still a chance for Nico – he honestly couldn’t get a read on Will.  Right at that moment, he felt certain that Will wasn’t interested.  He felt certain that he’d moved on and only cared for Nico as a patient and a friend, because Will was just a kind person in general.  But then he remembered the way Will had held him when Nico first regained consciousness, and recalled the kisses Will had pressed all over his face when he sent him that dream. 

Nico cleared his throat, determined to have a normal conversation.  “Classes going well, then?”

“Yeah,” Will answered.  “Going really well, actually.  I’ve decided to go into surgery.”

“You always did like that,” Nico said.  It had been what Will had been most interested in just before Nico’s death.  Nico was glad to hear that he’d stuck to it.  Will would be in med school at that point, Nico reminded himself – he’d only had a year of undergrad left before Nico died and had already started narrowing down his list of schools to attend.  He supposed Will had decided to stay in New Rome – either that, or Will was missing classes to be there, and that didn’t sound right.  “I’m glad you’re doing well.  You’re...you’re working towards your dream.”

Will smiled.  “Yeah.  I am.”

Nico returned the smile before Will looked away.  He was a little bit sad that Will’s life – and everyone else’s lives, for that matter – had kept on progressing without him.  He didn’t mention it out loud, though; of _course_ they’d moved on.  What did he expect, after three years?  He’d missed so much; Will graduating, Hazel’s engagement, Percy and Annabeth’s wedding....

It made Nico wonder if it was even worth it, to come back after three years and find a place that wasn’t the one he’d left behind.  Should he have just moved on when he had the chance, instead of returning to a world that had kept on moving without him? 

Nico glanced up at Will as he walked beside him, at the golden gleam of the sun hitting his eyelashes, the effortless wave of his hair, and the striking blue hue of his irises when he looked over and met Nico’s eyes. 

 _Yes,_ he decided.  If he all he’d gotten out of it was one more look at Will, it was absolutely worth it.

* * *

Will caught Reyna when she was walking out of Nico’s room after a visit a few days later, pulling her aside. 

“Thanks for putting up the patrol outside,” he whispered.  “The kids were disturbing the patients.”

Word had spread through the camp that a son of Hades had returned from the dead and was currently staying in their infirmary.  The younger generation was desperate to get a glimpse of Nico – and it didn’t help that it was so close to Halloween.  The children dared each other to visit the infirmary at night to see the resurrected demigod, scaring each other with ghost stories they made up to explain his appearance.  After the doctors had to chase off more than one group of eager young campers, they’d asked Camp Jupiter’s praetors to set up a patrol to keep the patients undisturbed. 

There had been a sudden influx of injuries in the smallest campers after that, so Will had reported to Reyna and Frank that they ought to keep a watchful eye out.  He wouldn’t tolerate kids injuring themselves to get into the infirmary, all for a ghost story.

“It’s not a problem,” Reyna replied.  She jerked her head towards Nico’s room.  “He’s improving; I can see it every time I visit.  You’re doing a good job, Will.”

Will nodded.  “Thank you,” he said.  “It’s not just me, though, it’s _him._ He’s doing so well because he _wants_ to be here.  Even the nightmares are passing – he still gets them occasionally, but...it’s getting better.”

“And thank the gods for his recovery,” Reyna answered, then she lowered her voice.  “And look, Will.  If you need anything, you know I’m here.  I was with you that night, remember?”

Will nodded; how could he forget?  When he was contemplating moving back to New Rome, he and Reyna had stayed up several nights, talking on the phone, remembering what it was like on that quest and on that journey back home after they had lost Nico.  They’d cried and Reyna had shared in his pain and taken some of the burden from him.

Will would always be grateful to her for that.

“I will,” he said.

Reyna nodded and patted Will’s shoulder before heading out of the infirmary, leaving Will to tend to his patient. 

Will took a deep breath before he walked inside to see Nico sitting upright in his bed watching him.  His color had improved over the past few days and his hair was clean and had been trimmed – courtesy of a son of Venus one of Will’s sisters was dating – and had returned to the stylishly messy mop of black that Will remembered.  “What were you and Reyna talking about?” Nico asked.

Will hesitated – everyone had come to a silent agreement not to tell Nico about the kids sneaking around like he was the star of a horror film, but he wasn’t willing to outright _lie_ to Nico.  “It’s....”

“Something that would upset me?” Nico said in understanding, bowing his head.  He looked disappointed, but didn’t push. 

Sighing, Will pulled up a chair beside Nico’s bed.  “It’s stupid,” he told him.  “A group of kids found out you’re here, so now....”

“They’re trying to get a glimpse of the son of Hades that rose from the dead,” Nico finished, nodding.

Will sighed.  “Reyna and Frank set up a guard so that they won’t disturb anyone, so you don’t have to worry about it,” he assured. 

“It’s okay,” Nico answered.  “You don’t have to worry so much about me, Will.  I’m...I’m actually doing alright.”

Will swallowed.  Yes, Nico _was_ doing better than he expected.  Nico was surprisingly well-off, from an emotional standpoint.  Will and the others had prepared for Nico to be in bad condition, to have reverted to the self-loathing mess that he’d been years ago, but Nico was doing so well.And yeah, Will had gotten him on antidepressants, but all those could do was  _help,_ not make him happy.

Will glanced at Nico’s beside table, at the collection of books he’d acquired to pass the time.  Nico also had a number of little gifts and mementos to catch him up on what his friends had been doing – a photo album of Percy and Annabeth’s wedding; a detailed brochure about the new shrines and temples Jason was building, complete with a map and a bundle of photos of the finished products; as well as a card from Leo that said “Welcome to the Dead Demigods Club!” in glittery letters across the front. 

Nico followed Will’s eyes and picked up the photo album of Percy and Annabeth’s wedding, flipping it open to look at some of the pictures.  “I can’t believe I missed it,” he murmured.  He settled on a photo of the wedding party, which included Will.  The bridesmaids wore blue dresses and Percy and his groomsmen wore blue vests and bow ties.  Annabeth had worn a lace dress with a high neckline that was form-fitting, yet modest.

“I walked down the aisle next to Reyna,” Will said, pointing at the picture of Percy and Annabeth before the alter, the bridesmaids and groomsmen fanned out on either side of them.  “A few of my siblings provided the music, and Chiron officiated.  Have you seen a picture of the cake?”

Nico laughed, flipping forward a few pages to the reception, stopping at a picture of Annabeth shoving a piece of blue wedding cake into Percy’s mouth.  “Annabeth really indulged him with the blue, huh?” Nico said.

Will chuckled, allowing himself to sit on the bed beside Nico.  “Trust me, the amount of _blue_ at that wedding was getting ridiculous.” 

“I wish I could’ve been there,” Nico whispered.  “And Hazel’s engaged now, and I missed that, too.  A lot happened in three years.”

Will shrugged.  “Yeah, a lot did happen.  Annabeth and Percy, Hazel and Frank.... Let’s see.  You’ve missed two Olympic games – I lost count of the number of medals Michael Phelps won.  I just remember Percy insisting that he was better.  My brother Austin won a Grammy last year.  Oh, and someone is going to have to explain the 2016 presidential election to you.”

Nico smiled and chuckled lightly.  “Things changed, huh?” he said softly, looking up at Will through thick eyelashes.

Will swallowed.  The sunlight was streaming in through the open window, bathing Nico in golden light.  It highlighted the contours of his face, which had grown so much healthier in the past few days.  He didn’t know if Nico was implying what he _thought_ Nico was implying by saying that – he didn’t know if Nico was hinting that he wanted to know more about how _Will_ had changed, and whether there was still a chance for him....

“I’m not seeing anyone,” Will said, the words tumbling from his mouth before he could think about them.  “I never...um....  While you were gone, I didn’t date.  Some friends tried to set me up a few times, but....”  He broke off, realizing how pathetic he sounded, like he had never gotten over his old high school boyfriend and now he was begging for him back. 

“Oh,” Nico whispered.  Will looked away, his cheeks reddening – he could still recall how easily their conversations used to flow, starkly contrasting with their current discomfort.  “Okay.”

“Sorry,” Will said quickly.  “I didn’t mean to make this weird.  Or, weird _er,_ I guess.”

“It’s fine,” Nico said.  “Um...I’m glad you told me.  I wondered.”

Will looked over at him and caught the earnest look in his eyes before turning away, his heart pounding in his chest because he was _terrified_ and he didn’t know what to do.  He didn’t know if he should act on his feelings, he didn’t know if there was anything solid to the way he felt about Nico.  If these were just fleeting emotions, left over from their past, he could hurt Nico.  And if not...Nico could hurt _him._ He’d never really stopped loving Nico, but he’d accepted that Nico was gone.  The love he’d felt over the years had been a strong beacon of hope; he’d come to realize that while he could not have Nico back, he didn’t have to stop loving him.  He’d felt like Nico had been with him, in a spiritual kind of sense; his love for Nico had changed, becoming more of a comfort blanket for him while he recovered from his loss.  But this Nico?  The Nico sitting next to him?  It was confusing and disorienting and Will wasn’t sure  _what_ he felt.

And he still hadn’t told Nico about what had happened in the year after his death.

Will cleared his throat, desperate to fill the uncomfortable silence.  “What I meant to say was, a lot happened, but there’s a lot that still has yet to happen.  You missed some stuff, but there’s still plenty of time to make more memories.”

There was a knock at the door, and Will jumped to his feet as it opened and Jason poked his head in.  “Hey, Neeks, Will,” he said, stepping inside.  “Thought I’d drop by and check in.”

Will breathed a sigh of relief, sparing a thought to how this was the first time he’d been _glad_ to have Jason interrupting them.  Jason had always had a habit of popping up when he and Nico were in the middle of something, blocking their attempts to get closer.  But right now, Will needed to get away from Nico and get his head on straight.  He needed things to slow down. 

“Good to see you, Jason,” Will said.  “I was about to step outside for a minute, so...I’ll leave you two alone.”  He smiled awkwardly at Nico before pushing out of the room, walking out of the infirmary at breakneck speed until he got outside and could _breathe,_ soaking in the light of the sun. 

“What am I _doing?”_ he asked himself, running his hand through his hair.  He didn’t have a _clue_ how to act around Nico.  He didn’t know what was okay and what wasn’t.  He didn’t know what Nico wanted.  He didn’t even know what _he_ wanted.  Was that the same Nico di Angelo that he’d loved before?  Was he the _Will_ that Nico had loved?  Will knew that he had changed over the years.  Was he still a person that Nico _could_ love?  He was afraid to hope, afraid to have his heart crushed when he couldn’t be with Nico again.  And yes, Nico definitely felt something – Will could tell that much – but was Nico ready?  Will didn’t even know if _he_ was ready. 

“Well, _I_ haven’t figured out what you’re doing yet, and I was hoping you’d have a good explanation.”

Will whirled around, coming face-to-face with a blond man in sunglasses and board shorts about his height and age, his skin more tanned and his hair more golden. 

“Dad,” Will breathed.  Apollo had appeared to Will more often since he’d been returned to his immortal state after being human for so long.  His time as a mortal had humbled him, and he’d taken to checking in on his children every so often.

“Hey, kid,” Apollo said.  “Thought I was overdue for a visit – especially with the drama that’s been going on in your life lately.”

“Did you know he was coming back?” Will asked – Apollo, being the god of prophesy, sometimes knew things would happen before they did.

“Will, Will, Will,” Apollo sighed, shaking his head.  “You should know by now that I can’t answer questions like that.  I didn’t _know –_ the future could have gone in many directions.  And I certainly couldn’t have told you, even if I had known.”

Will nodded – he’d grown to understand the complexity of prophesy over the years.  That didn’t mean it wasn’t irritating. 

“I came to talk,” Apollo went on.  “And, if you’ll have it, give some advice, father-to-son.”  Apollo jerked his head, signaling to Will that this was the sort of conversation to be had while walking, and started strolling across the green.  “I’m concerned,” Apollo finally said.  “I don’t mean to fault Nico, or to fault you, but the last time he broke your heart – whether it was on purpose or not – you were in a _bad_ place.”

Will winced at the mention of the state he’d been in after Nico’s death.  He wanted to point out that Apollo shouldn’t really be one to lecture Will on the number of affairs Will had had during that year, considering how many of Apollo’s kids were around the same age.  Still, Apollo had been a surprisingly good father since his return to Olympus, so Will decided to keep quiet and listen.

“I’m worried about what will happen to you if it doesn’t work out,” Apollo continued.  “I don’t want to see you hurt like that again.”

“Are you....” Will started, licking his lips nervously.  “Are you warning me because you _know_ it won’t end well?”

Apollo shook his head.  “Will.  There are too many possible outcomes for me to know which will happen.  That’s why I’m advising you to take care, to make _good_ decisions.  I’m not advising you to pursue Nico di Angelo, nor am I warning you against pursuing him.  I’m telling you that whatever you decide to do, do it for the _right_ reasons.  Do it _wisely._ You’re at a crossroads, Will.  Whatever happens, make sure you’re at peace with your choices.”

* * *

Will went to see Nico after class every day to check up on him.  As Nico’s primary physician, he was pleased with Nico’s progress.  After only a few weeks, Nico had put on a reasonable amount of weight and had gained back much of his color. 

But, really, Will only used his title of “physician” as an excuse to see Nico. 

Will’s visits were the highlight of his day.  Every time he went to see Nico, Nico’s eyes got a little brighter and the conversation came a little more easily.  There was still an awkward tension between them, still that unspoken question about what they were.  They didn’t bring up anything too close to the topic that they’d dated before, and they avoided addressing the feelings that they both knew were blooming between them.  But, somehow, they were making it work.

“You’re still in undergrad?” Nico asked, frowning in surprise.  Will had forgotten that Nico didn’t know that – when he’d brought up that he’d finished submitting his secondary applications to med schools, Nico had been confused.  “But, I thought....”

“It’s my last year,” Will admitted.  “I’m graduating in the spring.  It...uh...it took longer than expected.”  After a moment of hesitation, he said, “I dropped out for a year after you died.  It took me a while to get back on my feet.”

Nico’s lips rounded in a silent _O._ There was an awkward moment, a veiled reference to the fact that they had been in love, and neither of them knew how to respond to that.  Will remembered his father advising him to act wisely, and he recalled that part of the reason he and Nico had worked so well before was because they communicated.  Clearing his throat, Will opened his mouth and decided to just go for it, because he knew he had to address what was going on between the two of them if he wanted it to grow into anything healthy.

“Look, Nico,” he started.  “We can keep waffling around, or we can just talk about it – and honestly, I think it’s time we talk.  Okay?”

Nico nodded, his cheeks tinted pink.  “Yeah.  Yeah, we should.”

Will sighed, relieved that Nico was cooperating.  “Okay – so, Nico.  You and I...we were something good.  And believe me, I want that back.  But we’re different people now – I don’t want to get caught up in the moment, thinking that everything can go back to normal when it _can’t.”_

Nico opened his mouth, as if to say something, before closing it again. 

“I care about you,” Will continued, the words stumbling from his mouth before he thought to control them.  “Gods, Nico, _so much._ I’ll never stop caring.”  It surprised him, how true the words were – that even though he and Nico weren’t _something,_ at least not yet, Will already loved him.  And that love, Will knew, wasn’t just left over from before.  It wasn’t residual feelings clinging to his heart after Nico’s death, suddenly rejuvenated by Nico’s return.  It was _love._ Maybe not in the romantic sense of the word yet, but Will didn’t care.  It felt so _good,_ so solidifying, to know that the feelings he had for Nico were rooted in something real.

Nico swallowed.  “But you’re saying we can’t...we won’t ever...?”

“What?  No, not _never,”_ Will said quickly, sitting on the bed beside Nico, realizing that what he’d said before hadn’t made his intentions clear.  “That wasn’t what I meant – not at all.”  He took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts so that he wouldn’t screw it up even further.  “Okay, I’m doing a crappy job explaining.  I’m not saying that it’ll be _impossible_ between us – I’m saying it’ll never be the same.  And that’s not a bad thing.  We just can’t jump into this like nothing changed.  We need to take this slowly, be open with each other, get to know each other again.”

“Okay,” Nico said, finally looking up and meeting Will’s eyes.  “I understand.”

“I want to do this _right,”_ Will whispered.  “I _do_ want to be with you, Nico – and that’s why we have go slowly and why we have to communicate.  Just like we did the first time, when we were teenagers trying to figure out what we were.  But now we’ve grown up, and we have to start over.”  When Nico didn’t answer, Will asked, “Is...is that what you want?  To be together again?”

Nico nodded quickly.  He reached out, touching Will’s wrist with the tips of his fingers.  “I do.  And maybe you’re right – I’m not sure that I’m ready just yet.”

“But we’ll get there together,” Will replied.  “You and me.”

Nico smiled.  “I like the sound of that.” 

Will grinned, wrapping an arm around Nico’s shoulders and pulling him into a hug.  It felt _good_ to hold onto Nico like that, and even better when Nico relaxed into his side.  Sure, it was little uncomfortable, a little awkward, but Will was okay with that. 

Because that only meant that there was plenty of room to grow. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! I've said previously that I wasn't emotionally ready to handle a multichaptered fic, but somehow this idea crept into my life, whether I was prepared for it or not. I'm hoping to upload a new chapter every week. 
> 
> Also, this is about as much angst as I am emotionally capable of writing. I promise this chapter is as angsty as it gets.
> 
> I'd love to hear back from you guys! Comments and kudos always appreciated. <3


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING:  
> This chapter contains a plethora of Star Wars references. Read at your own risk.

Will walked into the Nico’s room in the infirmary just as Nico threw his fists in the air and shouted, “Boom!  Beat you again, Frank!”

Frank looked over the Mythomagic cards on the table between them, his jaw slack.  “How do you _do_ that?” he asked. 

“It’s just my natural aptitude,” Nico answered smugly.  He looked up as Will entered the room, beaming at him when their eyes met.  “Hey, Will!”

Will smirked, shaking his head. “You two are such _nerds,”_ he said.

“Takes one to know one,” Nico retorted.

Chuckling, Will reached out and ruffled Nico’s hair, loving the way it felt between his fingers.  “Alright, Frank, sorry to break up the fun, but I’m gonna need you to clear out.  Nico’s got some tests.”

Frank pushed his chair back and got to his feet.  “I’ll catch you later, Nico,” he said as he left.  “I want another rematch.” 

Will glanced at Nico.  “Hold on, I’ve got to talk to Frank about something.  I’ll be right back.”  Ducking out of the room, Will said, “Hey, Frank, can I talk to you for a second?”

“Sure,” Frank answered, turning back around sticking his hands in his pockets. 

“About Nico,” Will said, stepping forward and lowering his voice to keep Nico from overhearing.  “He’s been doing really well – we’re all pretty amazed at his progress over the last few weeks.  So, I was thinking that he doesn’t really have to stay at the infirmary anymore.  He’d probably like staying with you and Hazel, if you two are cool with that.”

“Oh,” Frank said, looking surprised.  “Oh, yeah, of course.  I’ll have to tell Hazel, but we’d love to have him.”

Will smiled.  “Good,” he said.  “I wanted him to have a place to stay for Thanksgiving, and I figured that with you and Hazel....”

“And not with you?” Frank asked, his tone a mixture of understanding and actual curiosity.

Will sighed.  “That’s not a good idea.  Not right now; we’re still trying to figure out what we are.  I _want_ to be something, and so does he.  We just...can’t rush it.  Baby steps, you know?”

Frank nodded wisely.  “I get it,” he said.  “But, you know, it’s really nice to see you two getting along again.”

Will grinned – because yes, it was.

* * *

Will went over to Hazel and Frank’s condo every day in the week that followed, checking up on Nico’s progress.  At least, that was why he was _supposed_ to be going over, but that wasn’t the whole reason. 

To be honest, he just wanted to see Nico.  And, more and more, he wanted to see Nico _without_ the pretense of being Nico’s doctor.

Nico walked him outside every evening, and they’d stand on the porch chatting until Will knew he had to go back home.  He never wanted to leave, and he could tell Nico didn’t want to see him go. 

“Hey,” Will said on one such evening, sticking his thumbs into the belt loops of his jeans.  “You know, Thanksgiving is coming up and I’m going to Texas on Wednesday to spend it with my mom, so I won’t see you for a while.  I was wondering if you’d like to, you know, hang out or something before I leave.  We could just stay in, if you want.  I just...I’d like to spend some time together.  Just us.  If you want.”

Nico’s cheeks flushed lightly – or maybe it was just the cool November air.  “Yeah,” he said.  “Um, Hazel and Frank are going to be out on Tuesday, so...if you’d like, you could come over and we can watch some movies, or something.”

“I can bring some newer ones that you haven’t gotten the chance to see,” Will suggested.  “Like the eighth episode of Star Wars.  That’s a must-see.”

Nico’s face lit up.  “Yeah,” he agreed.  “I missed that, didn’t I?”

“Gods, and Rouge 1!” Will added.  “Want me to bring The Force Awakens and the Original Trilogy to refresh your memory?”

Nico nodded.  “That sounds good,” he said, taking a step closer to Will.  “It sounds really nice, actually.”

Will swallowed, combing his fingers through Nico’s dark hair, feeling like his insides were melting at how the silky strands slid so easily over his skin.  Clearing his throat, he took a step back, letting his hand fall to his side.  “I’ll...I’ll come by on Tuesday, then.  My class gets out at 11:30, so maybe around noon?  Then we can marathon through the movies.”

Nico smiled.  “Yeah.  I’ll...see you then,” he said.

Will took a step backwards, leaving the front porch to walk down the block to his apartment.  “See you then,” he answered.  He paused before turning to leave, not wanting to say goodbye.

“I’ll make popcorn!” Nico called.

“Use lots of butter!” Will said, looking back over his shoulder.

Nico’s lips were curled up softly, a faint shade of pink dusting his cheeks.  “I know,” he said.  “I remember.”

Will’s heart leaped at the look on Nico’s face.  He forced himself to wave and walk away, glancing back after he’d walked a little farther.  Nico was still standing on the porch, his fingers lingering in his hair where Will’s hand had stroked it moments before. 

* * *

Will knocked on the door to Hazel and Frank’s condo on Tuesday, his backpack filled with movies.  Nico opened it up for him with a smile, wearing a pair of dark jeans and a black, grey, and blue flannel shirt over a plain black tee, his feet covered by a pair of grey socks.  The condo smelled rich with butter, reminding Will of the way his and Nico’s apartment used to get when they had movie nights. 

“Come in,” Nico urged, holding the door open.  “Hazel and Frank left about an hour ago – they’ll be gone until this evening, so we’ve got the place to ourselves.”

Will stepped inside, noting that the sofa was covered in blankets and pillows, just like theirs used to be when they huddled up in front of the TV.  Will smiled.  “You remembered,” he said with a grin. 

“Yeah,” Nico said, looking at his feet.  “Is that...is that okay?”

Will couldn’t help brushing his hand over Nico’s arm when he said, “Yeah.  Just because we’re, you know, _starting over_ doesn’t mean we have to totally forget what we liked before.”

Nico smiled. “Good.  Because I liked this.”

Will cleared his throat, walking into the living room and setting his backpack down on the coffee table.  “Right.  Well, I brought the Bluerays for the newer stuff, but for the originals....”  Will trailed off, raising up VHS copies of the three original Star Wars films. 

Nico laughed.  “The older, the better!” he said.  “Didn’t we find these in the attic of the Big House?”

Will smiled.  They had been dating for about a year when Nico, to Will’s surprise, had lured Will up to the attic for a little “alone time,” which ended up being them searching through the junk to find little hidden treasures.  Nico had enthusiastically exclaimed that they were like pirates on a treasure hunt, looking for lost and forgotten gems.

Gems like working VHS tapes of Star Wars.  After discovering the movies, they’d quickly recruited the Stoll brothers to acquire a VHS player.  As soon as they discovered that the tapes were functional, they’d had a movie date night in the Hades cabin and marathoned through the films. 

“Yeah,” Will said.  “I...held onto them.”

“Well, _yeah,”_ Nico said.  “They’re vintages!”

Will bit his tongue, keeping himself from admitting that he’d also kept them because they reminded him of Nico and some of the most fun Will had ever had with another person. 

“And,” Will added, reaching into his backpack again and pulling out his VHS player.  “I came _prepared.”_

“Oh, good,” Nico replied.  “You work on hooking that up; I’ll get the popcorn.”

Nico fled to the kitchen and Will got out the cabling for the VHS player.  It was the same one the Stolls had found for them years prior, an updated model complete with HDMI output.  Finishing up, he switched the output on the TV and put in the first movie as Nico came back in carrying a large blue plastic bowl filled with popcorn.  Nico flopped onto the sofa, nesting himself into the pillows and blankets, and popped a piece of popcorn in his mouth as Will started the movie. 

Settling in beside Nico, Will grabbed a piece of popcorn, sighing as the flavors of salt and butter filled his mouth.  Noticing Nico watching him, he offered up a smile before turning his attention to the TV to watch the words roll across the screen. 

 

“Ben, _Bennnn!”_

“Nico, you must go to the Dagobah system.  There, you will train under the Jedi master Chiron.”

Nico sat up from where he was lying on the floor and said, “Oh, no!  A yeti!”

Will rolled his eyes.  “Nico, it’s a wampa.”

“Got it.  Oh, no!  A wampa! Where’s my lightsaber?  Use the force!  _Vshhhooom!”_ Nico mimed slicing through the air with a lightsaber.  “I cut its arm off,” he explained.

Will laughed, jumping off the sofa and landing beside Nico.  “I’m Will Solo and I will rescue you with dead tauntaun guts!”

Nico flopped back onto the floor, clutching at his own neck and making gagging noises.  “Hurry!  The chances of survival are seven hundred seventy-five to one!”

“And I’ll see you in Hades!  _Vrooooo –_ Oh, no!  An AT-AT!”

Nico jumped up, pointing to the other side of the room as if an AT-AT were approaching.  “Use your harpoons and tow cables!”

“I’ve been shot!”  Will crumpled to the floor dramatically, sticking his tongue out and closing his eyes.  _“Blehhhh.”_

Nico knelt next to him.  “Dack?  No, Dack!”

Will giggled, sitting back up.  “Okay, now I’m Han and you’re Leia.”  He jumped to his feet, pointing to the couch.  “To the Millennium Falcon!”

Nico put his hands on his hips defiantly.  “No, I must stay and protect the base!”

“Come on, Princess,” Will said, grabbing Nico’s arm.  “It’s the only way out.”

“We have to get 3PO and R2!” Nico shrieked, then he gasped.  “Oh no!  3PO blew up!  We have to find Leo to fix him!” 

“To Bespin!” Will said, jumping onto the sofa and pulling Nico up beside him.  “Lightspeed, Chewy!”

Nico made whooshing noises, then shouted, “Look!  We’re surrounded by asteroids!  The chances of successfully navigating through an asteroid field are approximately three thousand seven hundred twenty to one!”

“How do you remember all these numbers?” Will asked, breaking character.  “You’re such a nerd.”

Nico rolled his eyes and shoved Will off the sofa.  Will landed on his butt on the ground gracelessly.  “Hey!” he shouted, grabbing Nico’s ankle and pulling him down, too.  Nico fell next to him awkwardly, knocking his arm on the coffee table.  “Oh, crap, I’m sorry!” Will said, reaching for Nico’s wrist.

“It’s okay, I’m fine,” Nico assured, getting back to his feet.  “We should have a lightsaber duel!”

Will snorted.  “Oh please.  We both know you’d win.  You’re just suggesting that so you can laugh at me when I fail.” 

Nico giggled, jumping back onto the sofa and miming a dueling stance.  He mimicked the sound of a lightsaber being ignited.  “Come on!  Draw your saber, Will!”

Will groaned and complied.  He pulled himself up, copying Nico’s posture and hummed as he pretended to turn on his lightsaber. 

Nico grinned.  “The force is strong with you, young Solace.  Join me, and we will bring order to the galaxy!”

“Never!” Will answered, whooshing as he swung his arms out at Nico’s legs.  Nico mimed blocking him, and then brought his arms down in front of Will’s wrist, making a noise that sounded like _nee-yooom_ as he struck with his imaginary lightsaber. 

“I cut off your hand,” Nico said.

“Aarrgh!” Will cried, falling to his knees and clutching his wrist.  He ducked his hand inside of his sleeve, acting like it had been amputated.

Nico made a fist in front of himself, glowering down at Will.  “You do not know the power of the dark side of the force!”

“I’ll never join you!”  Will answered.  “You killed my father!”

“No, Will,” Nico said deeply.  _“I_ am your father.”

Will tossed his head back.  “Nooo!  That’s impossible!” he shrieked.  “You’re not even blond!”

Nico giggled, clutching at his sides and doubling over before jumping off the sofa and running around the coffee table.  Will scrambled to his feet and chased after him, wrapping his arms around Nico’s waist and lifting him in the air when he caught him.  “Come here, shorty!” Will teased, squeezing Nico to his chest.

“Size matters not!” Nico quoted in a surprisingly impressive Yoda voice.  He wriggled out of Will’s grasp and grabbed the abandoned popcorn bowl, pelting Will with leftover pieces and making _pew!_ noises as he threw them.

Will mimed igniting a lightsaber again, making buzzing sounds when he pretended to hit the popcorn flying towards him. 

Nico cocked his head to the side.  “What are you doing?”

Will looked down at his hands.  “Uh, hitting your lasers with my lightsaber,” he answered.

“Well, you aren’t doing a very good job at it,” Nico said, tossing another piece of popcorn at him.  “I keep landing hits.”

Will rolled his eyes.  “Just use your imagination!”

Nico giggled, dumping what was left of the popcorn on Will before tossing the bowl aside and running away.  Will gasped as the popcorn hit his face, getting butter on his cheeks.  “No, Nico!  There is good in you, I can sense it!”

Nico climbed on top of the coffee table and put his hands on his hips.  “That name no longer holds any meaning,” he said.  “I am...Darth Nico, the Ghost King!”

And, naturally, _that_ was the moment Frank and Hazel came home.

Hazel gasped when she saw the state of her living room – there were pillows and blankets laying on every surface and pieces of popcorn littered the floor, the bowl laying upside-down to the side of the room.

“Uh,” Nico said, his arms snapping to his sides.  He stepped off of the coffee table awkwardly, offering up a guilty smile.  “I’ll clean it up.”

Behind Hazel, Frank looked like he was holding back a grin, and once Hazel had taken in the state of her condo, she glanced back at Will and Nico like she was trying to figure out if she should be upset or amused.  “Yeah,” she said.  “Nico, I...when I said not to burn the house down, I sort of meant to imply that you shouldn’t...you know, trash the place.”

“Right,” Nico said, scratching the back of his neck.  “Um...sorry.  I’ll fix it.” 

“I’ll help,” Will said quickly, reaching for the plastic bowl on the floor.

Hazel rubbed her temples.  “It’s...fine.  As long as you clean up after yourselves.”  Walking out of the room, she said, “I need to change.” 

Frank looked them over when Hazel was gone, smirking as Nico gathered up the blankets and folded them.  “So...” he started.  “Darth Nico, the Ghost King?”

Nico picked up a pillow and threw it at him.  “Shut up, Frank.”

Frank laughed, setting the pillow on the sofa.  “You two are such nerds,” he said, leaving the room to follow after Hazel.  “I’m glad you had a nice date!”

“Frank!” Nico shouted, picking up another pillow and throwing it at him just as Frank closed the door to the room he shared with Hazel.  It crashed into the door, sliding uselessly to the floor.

Will looked down to hide his blush, hoping Nico wouldn’t notice it as he picked up the pillows and collected them in a pile to put away.

“I’ll...get a broom,” Nico stuttered, rushing to the closet were Hazel and Frank stored their cleaning supplies.  He swept up the popcorn on the floor when he got back, leaving Will to finish folding the blankets.

“So, I should probably get home,” Will said when they finished setting the room right.  “I’ve got a morning class, then a plane to catch.”

Nico nodded.  “Right.  I’ll walk you out.”

Will nodded, gathering up the movies and VHS player he’d brought before stepping outside with Nico.  The sky had gotten dark by then – he and Nico had ordered a pizza earlier that evening when they’d started getting hungry.  Still, Will hadn’t realized how late it had gotten. 

Having come straight from class, Will had driven the way there, so he dropped his backpack in the passenger’s seat before turning back to Nico. 

“So...” he started.  “I had fun.”

Nico nodded.  “Me, too,” he answered.  “And, you know, we didn’t make it past the original trilogy.  So maybe we could meet up again and watch the new ones.”

Will’s chest warmed at the suggestion, and he bit his lip to keep from grinning like an idiot.  “Yeah,” he agreed.  “We should.  When I get back.”  Clearing his throat, he said, “I’ll...I’ll call.  I’ve got Hazel’s number, so I’ll...call her to get in contact with you.  To, you know, check up on how you’re doing.  And to just...talk.”

Nico smiled prettily, looking up at him through long black eyelashes.  “Okay,” he said.  “I’ll...um...I’ll miss you.”

Will reached up to cup Nico’s cheek.  Nico had always looked beautiful in the light of the moon and the stars.  His hair, black against the midnight blue of the sky, and his pale but tanning skin, smooth and unblemished, made him look like he was _part_ of the night, a piece of the spectacle – but Nico was the main feature.  It was like Nico was a piece of art that was _meant_ to be viewed at nighttime.  Will wanted to kiss him – but he didn’t.  He still didn’t feel quite ready.

That, and he still hadn’t told Nico about the things he’d done the first year after Nico’s death.  He knew he had to tell Nico before they got too far into their relationship, but he also knew that it wasn’t the time for that conversation.  He wanted this night to end without any complicated feelings, without anything to taint the memory of how much fun they’d had. 

Will pulled Nico into a hug, resting his cheek on top of Nico’s head.  “I’ll miss you, too,” he said, squeezing Nico as he hugged Will back. 

Will drew back before it could last too long, brushing Nico’s hair behind his ear before he put his hands in his pockets.  “I should go,” he said, glancing at his feet and not the bright look in Nico’s eyes. 

“Right,” Nico said, walking him around to the driver’s side of his car.  He stood by as Will stepped in, his arms folded to keep himself warm against the cool November air.  “Will?” he called.

Will looked back up.  His door was still open, and Nico was _right there_.  “Yeah?” he asked, his mouth dry. 

“I’ll be waiting for you to call,” he whispered, eyes darting away before looking back up at Will, catching his eyes with his pretty brown ones.

Will swallowed – and _gods,_ he really wanted to kiss Nico.  The time seemed right, the mood seemed right, and judging by the way Nico was looking at him, _Nico_ wanted to kiss him, too. 

But something about it still felt wrong _._ He couldn’t do it until Nico knew the full truth.

“I’ll call,” Will promised.  “I’ll...I’ll see you later, Nico.”

Nico drew back with a smile, and Will told himself he was imagining the flash of disappointment that crossed his face.  “See you around,” he answered.  “Bye, Will.”

With that, Will shut the door and started the car, resolutely not glancing back as he drove away.

* * *

Will sighed when he stepped into the airport, making his way to the baggage claim.  He loved New York, and he loved California, but something about _Texas_ would always feel like home. 

He spotted his mom in the crowd of people and waved, smiling as he made his way over to her.

“Will!” Naomi Solace greeted, pulling her son into a hug.  “How’s my little doctor?”

Will laughed as his mom ruffled his hair, even though she was barely up to his shoulder in height.  “I’m good, Mama,” he said, a bit of a drawl creeping into his voice.  He always gained back a slight hint of an accent when he met up with his mom. 

“Classes going well?  Ready for final exams?”

“Mama, I’ve still got a few weeks,” Will said with a roll of his eyes.  “Just let me _relax,_ yeah?”

“Please, we both know you’ll be reading your textbooks more than you’ll talk to me,” Naomi joked.  “But, really, Will, everything’s good?”

Will nodded.  “Yeah.  And...when we get home, there’s something I’ve got to tell you.”

Naomi squinted her eyes.  “Something as in a _boy_ thing, or a...you know, _demigod_ thing?”  She lowered her voice on the word _demigod._

“A little of both,” Will admitted, which made his mother’s eyes widen.  Will understood why; he hadn’t talked to her about a _boy_ thing in quite a while.

“Oh,” she said.  “Well, that’s...is it a good thing?”

“It’s a good thing,” Will confirmed.  He nodded towards the belt, which has started to move as suitcases were unloaded.  “But, like I said, when we get home.”

 

“I bought some brownies from the bakery down the street,” Naomi said when she led Will into the kitchen.  “And I’ve put in an order, so the barbecue should be ready for pick up this evening.  We’ll just warm it up tomorrow.”  Will’s mother was a terrible cook, and Will was only passable, so they had a tradition of ordering barbecue instead of attempting to make anything.  “But no brownies until you tell me about this _boy,”_ his mom added.

Will scratched the back of his neck.  “About that.  You should probably sit down.”

Naomi raised an eyebrow.  “You told me it was a good thing.”

“It is,” Will assured.  He waved to the kitchen table, motioning for her to sit down.  Naomi gave him one last look before she caved and took a seat at the kitchen table.  Clearing his throat, Will clutched the back of one chair with a white-knuckled grip, going over the speech he’d prepared for his mother on the plane. 

He couldn’t remember it.

“You’d better not be getting married,” Naomi said.  “You didn’t even tell me you were _dating_ someone.”

“What?  No,” Will answered.  “That’s not it.  It’s...um....”  Will sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before he decided to just be direct about it.  “Mama, Nico’s back.”

There was a deadening silence before Naomi spoke up.  “When you say _back....”_

“I mean he’s alive,” Will said.  “He was dead.  But now he’s alive.  He’s back.  He’s in New Rome right now, with Hazel and Frank.” 

Naomi licked her lips, her blue eyes bearing into Will.  “Will, honey, are you _sure?”_

“Yes,” Will answered patiently.  “I’m sure.  It’s him.  He’s _alive,_ Mama.”

Naomi’s hands flew to her mouth, pushing back her chair and running to wrap her arms around Will.  “Oh, _Will,”_ she said, pulling back and putting her hands on his cheeks.  She kissed his forehead.  “How...?  When did it happen?  Why didn’t you call me?”

“About a month ago,” Will answered, taking hold of one of her hands.  “I thought about it calling you, but I really wanted to be in person.  As for _how..._ he hasn’t come out with all the details yet, and that’s okay, but it has something to do with a deal he made with Hades.”

“And he’s...he’s _alright?”_

“He was in bad shape for a little while,” Will answered.  “The...the fading problem that I explained to you.  It was bad.  But...he’s so much better.  He’s _healthy.”_

Naomi covered her mouth with her hands, biting back a sob.  She leaned against the edge of the table and her shoulders shook.  “Oh, my god,” she whispered.  “That’s... _Will._ Oh, my god, Will, how are _you_ dealing with this?”

“Well, for a while, I was just focused on making him healthy,” Will admitted.  “I mean, there were a few times that I broke down and cried for, like, _hours_ at a time, and I probably looked like an idiot the first time he woke up and I sobbed at his bedside, but, I mean, other than that....”

“But how do you _feel_ about this, Will?  Are you okay?”

“Mama, the man I loved and spent some of the best years of my life with just returned from the dead.  _Okay_ is not the word I would use to describe my feelings on the matter.”  Rubbing his temple, he continued, “But I might be close to okay.  I’m...I’m really _really_ happy.  Scared out of my mind, but happy.”

Naomi looked him over, giving Will the sense that she was dissecting his every thought, and reached out to take his hand.  “And the two of you...?”

“We’re figuring it out,” Will said.  “We’re not... _dating.”_ He paused, remembering how he’d spent the day prior with Nico watching movies and goofing around.  “Okay, maybe we’re kind of dating.  I’m not sure yet.  But, like, we’ve talked about it.  I feel like...like there’s something _there._   So, we’re giving it a try.  It’s been slow.  I haven’t...I haven’t kissed him yet.”

Sighing, Naomi rubbed her thumb over the back of Will’s hand.  “Will.  I loved Nico.  You know that.  But, as your mother, I’m...Will, this is _crazy._ Are you _sure_ this is the right decision?  Things have changed in three years.  And who knows what happened to Nico.  What if...what if you get into it, and you realize things can’t be the way they were?”

Will smiled.  “Dad said pretty much the same thing,” he commented, thinking back to Apollo’s visit.

Naomi shrugged.  “Despite his faults, Apollo is a good man,” she said.  “Or – well, god.”

Chuckling, Will turned to look his mother in the eyes.  “Mama, I’ve thought this through.  I know things are different.  I’m not trying to act like nothing happened.  We’re getting to know each other again – some things never changed, and some things did.  And yes, I’m _terrified._ I’m scared that what I feel is just left over from before and it’ll end up being a disaster because my feelings aren’t rooted in anything _current.”_ He paused.  “But I don’t think that’s true.  I think...I think I really like him.”

Naomi squeezed his hand.  “Okay.  If you say so, I believe you.”

“I’m being careful,” Will added.  “I know it’s a delicate situation – for both of us.  But I _want_ it to work, so I’m going to try.”

* * *

 “Ready for some lunch, Nico?” Piper asked, using a towel to wipe sweat from her brow.  They’d been working on the construction of a shrine with Jason and a group of Vulcan’s children.  Nico had asked to help out, thinking that it would do him some good to get in some physical activity.

“Yeah, I’m starving,” Nico answered, pulling on a hoodie.  Hazel had bought it for him in October, but now it was starting to get chilly enough that he wished he had a warmer jacket.

“Awesome!  Have you been to the new café in New Rome yet?” Piper asked.  She forced her arms into her sweater, making her way to the Pomeranian Line with beside Nico. 

“Not yet, but I keep hearing about it,” Nico answered.  He was glad Piper had asked him out to lunch – just the two of them.  He loved Jason, but it was nice to get one-on-one time with each of his friends. 

Piper grinned.  “Then let’s check it out!  Hazel loves the pomegranate scones.  You probably will, too.  Or are you in one of those ‘no pomegranates’ phases?”

Nico laughed – he used to go through phases in which he’d eat ridiculous amounts of pomegranates, and then he’d get sick of them and avoid them for months.  “Haven’t had many since I’ve been back,” he admitted.  “So we’ll have to see which phase I’m in.”

“Well, they have really good sandwiches, if that doesn’t work out,” Piper suggested. 

They chatted idly as they walked through New Rome, passing familiar old buildings and a few new ones that Nico had to investigate.  Piper stopped in front of the café and led Nico inside, ordering for them after insisting that she’d take care of the bill.  It wasn’t until Nico sat down that he realized she’d used charmspeak.

“Piper!” he scolded.  “You know, I’ve still got a credit card from Hades.  I _have_ money.”

Piper waved a hand.  “It’s not a big deal.  I wanted to treat you.”

Nico huffed.  “Okay, fine.  But you have to agree to do something.”

She smiled, resting her chin in her hands.  “Oh yeah?”

Nico blushed, fixing his eyes on the wood of the table.  “Take me out shopping?” he asked shyly.  “I could use new winter clothes.  And you’re always good at that.”

He looked up to see Piper grinning at him.  “You’re adorable,” she said.  “And yes, I’ll take you shopping!”

“Oh, good,” Nico said.  “I was afraid I’d have to go with Frank.”

Piper laughed as their coffees, sandwiches, and pastries arrived.  The macchiato was just the right flavor and his toasted sandwich was perfect for a cold day. As for the scone....

“It’s a pomegranate phase,” Nico confirmed, taking another bite of his pastry. 

“Oh, good,” Piper said, taking a bite out of her sandwich.  “So.  How’s living with Hazel and Frank?”

“A lot of fun, actually,” Nico answered.  He set aside his scone, determined not to eat the whole thing just yet.  “It’s nice, to have some time with just us.  Like a family.”

Piper nodded wisely.  “I’m glad.  And Will?”

Nico eyed her across the table as he took a sip of coffee.  “That’s what this is about?”

“Uh,” Piper said guiltily.  “Sort of?  But only in part.”

Nico chuckled.  “It’s okay.  I figured you’d ask.  And I’d probably bring it up even if you didn’t.”  He took a bite of his sandwich before going on.  “Sorry, I’m starving.  Anyway, I think things are going pretty well.  We hung out yesterday, just watched movies and stuff.  It was fun.  We’re figuring things out.  So far...I like it.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, how fast are you two taking this?” Piper asked, and Nico knew it wasn’t a question Piper would ask lightly.  Piper always respected Nico’s privacy, not sticking her nose into things he wanted to keep to himself and never asking too much.

“It’s slow,” Nico answered.  “Really slow.  He’s trying to be considerate to me, I think, but I feel like he’s also got some baggage to get over.  I know it must’ve been hard on him.”

“It was,” Piper said, wiping her fingers on her napkin.  “And are you okay with the pace?”

“Sometimes its frustrating,” Nico admitted.  “Like, he hasn’t...I don’t know.  Sometimes he’ll hold my hand and or hug me or cuddle next to me on the sofa, but other times, I feel like he pulls away.”  He rested his chin on his hand, thinking back to the previous evening.  “We haven’t kissed yet,” he added.  “I...I wanted to yesterday – well, I’ve wanted to before then, too, but, I felt like yesterday was the right time.  But I also have noticed that he’s hesitant about some things, and he can be kind of inconsistent, so I sort of left it up to him.  I gave him an opening, a clear opportunity to do it, and...he didn’t.  Which is fine, I guess.  I just...I kind of thought he _would.”_

Piper folded her hands in front of her, looking at Nico intently.  “Nico, you two are doing really well.  It’s good to start off slowly, so try not to get impatient.  Just remember that Will’s life...well, things have happened.  So, while you need to make sure you’re okay with the pace, you also have to consider _him,_ because there might be times, like this, when he needs to slow down, or he gets insecure and needs you to reassure him.”

“So...I need to wait for him to be ready?  Wait until he’s the one to bring it up, or he tries to initiate something?”

Piper shrugged.  “Maybe.  Look, Nico.  Losing you was really hard on him.  Having you back, starting a new relationship with you...that’s a lot.  I guess my advice on the kissing is not to do it just yet.  I’d wait a little longer, and, when the time feels right, _ask_ him.  Tell him you want to, and ask what he wants.  Make sure he knows it’s okay if he’s not ready.”

Nico nodded.  “Okay.  Thanks.  That’s actually really helpful.”

“No problem, Nico,” Piper said with a smile.  “You can always talk to me if you have questions, or if you just want to chat.  Now, let’s finish eating so I can take you shopping.”

* * *

“You want me to _what?”_ Frank asked, looking at the raw turkey sitting on the counter.

“Reach into the body cavity and take out the giblets,” Hazel repeated, peeling the potatoes on the opposite side of the kitchen. 

Frank looked at Nico.

“Turkey guts,” Nico explained as he expertly diced an onion - he had always liked cooking.  “They should be inside.”

Frank curled his lip.  “Oh, that’s disgusting.”  He waved to the turkey.  “You want to do it, Mr. Master Chef?”

Nico smirked, gathering up the pieces of onion and tossing them in a mixing bowl.  “No.  Hazel told you to do it.”  That, and he really didn’t want to be the one to take out the giblets.

“Will somebody just do it?” Hazel said.  “We don’t have all day.”

Frank glanced from Hazel back to Nico.  “I’ll give you my Asclepius Mythomagic figure.”

Nico considered.  What did he have to lose?  They were just turkey guts.  He’d seen worse.  “Deal.”  Rolling up his sleeves, he stepped around Frank and stood in front of the turkey.  “So...I just reach in and take them out, right Hazel?” Nico asked.

“Nico, this isn’t difficult!” Hazel said irritably. 

“Well, I’ve never prepared a whole turkey before!” Nico snapped. 

“Don’t give me that attitude, Mr. di Angelo,” Hazel said, turning and pointing the potato peeler at him.  “Not on Thanksgiving.  Today is supposed to be a day when we reflect on everything that we are grateful for.”

Nico and Frank glanced at each other.  “I’m pretty sure that Thanksgiving was last month,” Frank commented.

“And I still don’t get Thanksgiving in general,” Nico said.  “Like, what’s the point of having a day dedicated to saying ‘thank you’?  Why not an “I’m Sorry” Day when you apologize to everyone?”

Hazel groaned impatiently, turning back to her potatoes.  Nico thought he heard her mutter _“foreigners”_ under her breath.

“The food is nice, though,” Nico said with a shrug. Looking back at the turkey, he asked, “Hazel, you don’t have any gloves, do you?  This is seriously gross.”

Hazel slammed the peeler on the counter.  “Oh, my gods!  _I’ll_ do it.”  Storming over to the turkey, Hazel reached inside the neck and pulled out the bag of giblets.  Frank and Nico gagged, pushing each other to try and put some distance between themselves and the turkey.

Hazel scoffed.  “You two are such babies.”  She pulled open the cabinet door under the sink where they kept the trashcan. 

“Not there!” Frank said, partially covering his mouth as if he were about to vomit.  “Throw it away outside!”

Hazel looked up.  “Are you two serious right now?”

“Yes, Hazel, please, just take it outside,” Nico agreed.  “It’s creeping me out.”

Hazel looked at the bag of giblets in her hand, a smirk slowly forming on her face.  “Oh, really?” she asked.  “Nico ‘the Ghost King’ di Angelo is scared of a bag of turkey guts.”

Nico’s eyes widened, stepping out of the room as he wagged his finger at his sister in warning.  “Hazel, don’t you dare!”

“I’m gonna get you, Nico!” Hazel yelled, running after Nico when he bolted away and waving the giblets in front of herself.

“Frank!” Nico shouted, hurling himself over the sofa and fumbling with the handle to the front door.  “Help!”

From the kitchen, Frank laughed.  “You’re on your own, di Angelo!” he called.

 _“Frank!”_  Nico threw open the front door, bolting outside as Hazel came running after him.  “I won’t forget this!” he shouted over his shoulder.

He ran around to the side of the condo and threw the lid off of the trashcan just as Hazel caught up with him, jumping on his back and waving the giblets in front of his face. 

“Arg!  Hazel!”  He wrestled with her arm, trying to keep her hand as far away from him as possible.  “Come on, just drop it in the trashcan and we can go back inside.”

“You’re such a _wuss,_ Nico!” Hazel giggled, fighting against Nico’s grip.  Twisting her hand, she threw the bag of giblets at his face and ran off, laughing to herself the whole way.  Nico gasped in disgust when the giblets touched his skin, shrieking and jumping back as they landed at his feet.  “Put them in the trash before coming inside!” Hazel called. 

Nico groaned, but he knew Hazel wouldn’t budge on the matter.  Closing his eyes and holding his breath, he reached for the bag with the tips of his fingers and tossed it in the trashcan as quickly as possible, then ran back inside. 

Frank poked his head out of the kitchen.  “Did you touch it?”

Nico whimpered.  “I’m going to take a shower.”

“Make it quick!” Hazel called.  “We have a lot to do!”

 

“So, we should all say what we’re thankful for,” Hazel suggested casually towards the end of dinner.

Frank and Nico shared a look across the table as they chewed on their turkey.  “Why?” Nico asked.

Hazel sighed, rubbing her temple in exasperation.  “Because it’s Thanksgiving, Nico.”

“Like I said, Thanksgiving was  _last_ month,” Frank muttered into his fork.

“And I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving,” Nico said.  “I don’t get it.”

“What’s not to get?” Hazel asked.  “You could at least say you’re thankful for the turkey I’m feeding you.”

“But I helped cook the turkey,” Nico said, cocking his head to the side.  “Why should I thank _you_ for it?  We _all_ cooked the turkey.  We can’t just thank each other.”

Hazel groaned, picking up her fork to scoop up some stuffing.  “I give up.”

Frank caught Nico’s eye, grinning.  “She’s _your_ sister,” Frank said with a shrug.

 _“You’re_ the one who decided to marry her,” Nico countered.  “Seriously, a holiday for saying thank you?  Why isn’t there an I’m Sorry Day or a Congratulations Day?  And Hazel, you do realize that the history of Thanksgiving is seriously fucked up, right?”

Hazel squinted at him.  “We do not use that kind of language at the dinner table, Nico.”

Frank suddenly burst into laughter, and Nico couldn’t hold his back, either.  Hazel stared at them blankly until Frank managed to collect himself enough to apologize.  “Sorry, Hazel.  You’re just too much fun to mess with.”

Hazel turned to her fiancé and flicked a spoonful of mashed potatoes at him before either of the boys could realize what she was doing.  The potatoes landed on Frank’s nose with a splat.  A moment passed before Frank glowered at her, standing up and rising to his full height.  “Oh, it’s _on,_ Hazel,” he said, taking the ladle from the gravy and splashing it her way.  Hazel ducked and the gravy splattered in Nico’s hair.

“Frank!” Nico shouted, grabbing the stuffing from his plate and hurling it at Frank’s face.  He cringed when Hazel snuck up behind him and rubbed cranberry sauce all over his cheeks.  Grabbing his sister by her sleeve, he smashed a handful of green beans in her hair.  When he reached for the casserole, Frank stopped them.

“Wait, guys, we have to save some for Jason,” Frank said. 

Hazel nodded, picking out a green bean from her curly hair.  “Right.  Food fight over.”

Nico frowned.  “Wait, why are we saving food for Jason?” he asked, wiping his face clean with his napkin. 

“We have an arrangement,” Frank explained, reaching for the plate of turkey in the center of the table.  “Hey, are we done eating?  I’m pretty stuffed.”

Hazel nodded, gathering up the potatoes and green beans.  “Yeah, might as well start putting the leftovers away.  Remember to package Jason’s separately.”

Nico followed Frank and Hazel into the kitchen, bringing the gravy and cranberry sauce with him.  “Okay, what is this arrangement?” he asked, taking the empty Tupperware containers that Hazel offered him.

“It started a couple years ago,” Hazel explained.  “Jason got desperate one Thanksgiving and showed up at Percy and Annabeth’s place the day after, begging for turkey.  Jason denies how dramatic he was, but Percy and Annabeth will put on quite the reenactment if you ask them.”

“Anyway, Piper’s not big on Thanksgiving,” Frank continued.  “Because for one thing, she’s vegetarian and Jason wants turkey, and for another, she’s Native American.  So she’s understandably sensitive to the whole pillaging and plundering thing.”

“Right,” Nico said.  He remembered Piper lecturing them on the history of Thanksgiving on more than one occasion. 

“So anyway,” Frank went on, “since then, the rest of the seven and company kind of agreed that every Thanksgiving, whoever Jason is closest to will provide him with leftover Thanksgiving food out of sympathy.  The first year, it was Percy and Annabeth.  Last year, it was Leo and Calypso.  This year, it’s our turn.  Jason’s really sneaky about it – he thinks he’s keeping it a secret from Piper.”

Hazel snorted.  “Piper totally knows.  She doesn’t really care – she just thinks it’s funny when he goes out of his way to hide it from her.  We keep up the act because it entertains her.”  She was cut off by her phone ringing.  Wiping her hands, she pulled it from her pocket.  “It’s Will,” she said with a glance at Nico. 

Nico’s heart leaped – they’d spoken briefly the day before, but Will had to leave after a short conversation to meet up with his mom’s band. 

Hazel answered her phone and put it to her ear.  “Will, thank _gods,_ an American.  All the foreigners in the house were driving me crazy.”

Nico could hear Will’s laughter over the phone, but was so distracted that he barely heard Hazel ask if he wanted to talk to Nico.  Hazel nudged him and handed him the phone. 

“Hello?” Nico asked, holding it to his ear. 

“Hey, Nico!” Will said.  The sound of his voice brought a smile to Nico’s face.  “Happy Thanksgiving!  How’s your day been?”

“It’s been good,” Nico said.  He glanced at Hazel, jerking his thumb towards the back door, and Hazel waved him off.  Walking towards the back porch, he continued, “I spent most of the day cooking with Hazel and Frank.  Things got a bit out of hand.  Hazel’s pretty tired of us _foreigners_ ruining Thanksgiving.”

Will laughed as Nico slid the glass door to the porch shut behind him.  “Poor Hazel,” Will lamented.  “But it sounds like you’re happy.”

“I am,” Nico answered as he settled into one of Hazel’s cushioned lounge chairs.  “Dinner ended up with us throwing food at each other and Hazel kept yelling at us when we were cooking, but I had a lot of fun.  I actually really like cooking.”

“You always did,” Will commented.  “And you were pretty good at it, too.”

“Not so great at cooking turkeys, apparently,” Nico said.  “That’ll take some practice.  But I like it – it’s kinda artsy, you know?  It’s like I’m creating something out of materials that have little value.  Anyway, it was nice to spend the day with Hazel and Frank, just hanging out like family.  And how was hanging out with your mom yesterday?”

“It was fun,” Will answered.  Nico knew Will loved spending time with his mom and going into her recording studio.

“Dis still force you to play for her?” Nico asked, remembering how Will would always complain about being forced into a spontaneous musical number.

“Yeah,” Will said, “she had me sing.”  Giving a weary chuckle, he added, “It’s kind of annoying to be the one person on _both_ sides of the family who isn’t a prodigy.”

“That’s not true,” Nico interrupted.  “You have a really nice voice, Will.”

“Thanks,” Will said, but Nico could hear an air of self depreciation in his tone.  “I just don’t measure up to a star country singer turned producer or the god of music.  Which, I mean, is fine, considering music isn’t my main interest.”

“I like your singing,” Nico blurted out.  “It always makes me happy to hear you.”

There was a brief hesitation before he heard Will chuckle.  “That’s all I really care about.”

Nico blushed nervously, combing his hair behind his ear out of habit.  He adjusted the phone and asked, “And, um, did you have barbecue?  I remember you used to always have barbecue on Thanksgiving.”

“We did,” Will said.  Nico thought he could hear Will smiling over the phone.

“I had it with you,” Nico added, although he knew Will remembered.  “I spent Thanksgiving with you and your mom a few times.”

“Yeah,” Will said.  Nico could tell through the pitch of his voice that he was definitely smiling.  “Yeah.  Those are happy memories – the best Thanksgivings of my life.”

Nico bit his lip, wondering if they’d have Thanksgivings like that again.  He knew Will would be thinking the same thing, but neither would voice it out loud – it was too soon for those sorts of questions.  “Um, so you come home Sunday, right?”

“Yeah, Sunday afternoon,” Will confirmed.  “I’ll have the Camp Jupiter van pick me up from the airport and I’ll come see you right afterwards.”

“You will?” Nico asked before he could stop himself.  He clutched the phone tightly.

“Yeah,” Will answered.  “I think about you a lot.  About maybe meeting up for another movie night.  I...I had a lot of fun.”

“Me too,” Nico whispered.  “Maybe sometime soon.  We can talk about it when you get back.”  Nico heard a tap on the glass door behind him before it slid open and Frank stepped out.  “Just a second, Will,” he said before asking Frank what was up.

“Jason’s on his way over, if you wanted to see him,” Frank said.

Nico nodded.  “Hey, Will?” he started, turning his head to the side as Frank stepped away to give him some privacy.

“I heard,” Will said.  “Jason coming over to mooch off some Thanksgiving food?”

“Yeah,” Nico answered, his heart fluttering at the sound of Will’s breathy laughter.

“Okay.  I’ll let you go, then.  Have fun, Nico.”

Nico smiled.  “Thanks, Will.  Have a good time with your mom, and I’ll see you soon.”

“See you soon,” Will said, and Nico heard the line end.  Nico hung up, grinning to himself as he stood up and stepped back inside. Frank was waiting for him.

“Good talk?” Frank asked, smiling at the look on Nico’s face.  Nico nodded and Frank reached out to squeeze his shoulder.  “I’m glad.  It’s good to see you happy.  Look, Nico.  I know you aren’t really into Thanksgiving, but I just wanted to tell you that I’m really thankful you’re back.”

Nico smiled, wrapping his arms around Frank’s burly form and giving him a quick hug.  “Thanks, Frank.  I’m glad I’m back, too.”

Nico did his best to clean up the food that was still on his clothes and face from the mini-food-fight that Thanksgiving dinner had turned into.  When Jason came over, Hazel set him up with a plate of turkey, potatoes, and stuffing, and the four hung out in the kitchen for a while before Nico served them each a slice of pumpkin pie, and later Hazel rushed Nico and Jason out of the kitchen so that she and Frank could do the dishes.  Jason grabbed another serving of turkey before he left to sit by Nico in the living room.

“Nico, would you be okay with talking about Will?” Jason asked before shoving a piece of turkey in his mouth.

Nico sighed.  Jason had always been over protective when it came to Nico’s love life.  If Jason started a conversation with that, he was surely going to follow up with something about how Nico should take his time, be careful, and so forth. And honestly, Nico didn’t want to hear it.  He _was_ being careful.  He knew that the situation he was in was crazy, and he knew he had to think things through.

“Jason,” Nico started.  “If you’re going to lecture me–”

“What?” Jason said, frowning.   “No, I’m not.  I mean, not like that.”

“Oh,” Nico said, suddenly reminded of the fact that three years had passed – he couldn’t assume he knew everything about his friends.

“Look, Nico,” Jason started, shifting on the sofa to face him.  “After you...um....”

“Died,” Nico filled in.

“Right,” Jason agreed awkwardly.  “So, Will was in a bad place.  It’s not really my place to talk about it, but if I know Will, he’ll play it off as being his own fault or he’ll avoid really admitting how much pain he was in.  He was in _bad_ shape, Nico.”

Jason paused to clear his throat, taking his fork and knife in hand and cutting off another square of turkey.  “Anyway, he and I had a falling out.  It got pretty ugly.  I was angry, and he was...he was just _broken,_ Nico.  And I couldn’t really see that.

“But, about a year and a half ago, we started talking again.  Piper got us to sit down in a room together.  I remember it started out with us yelling at each other, but then he just fell apart and started crying, then, _gods,_ I started crying, and we...I dunno.  We sort of understood each other.” Pausing to adjust his glasses, Jason looked up from his plate to face Nico.  “He really loved you, Nico.  And the way he shut down...it was his way of mourning, because he was too broken to function.

“So, I guess what I’m trying to say is he's been through a lot.  And Will...he’s a pretty amazing guy.  So if you two are able to work this out – which, by the way, I think you can – you two would be great together.”

Jason paused to stuff his face with a fork full of mashed potatoes.

“Of course, if it doesn’t work out, I’ll chop his fingers off.”

Nico rolled his eyes – _that_ was the Jason he knew.  “He wants to be a surgeon, Jason.  Fingers are kind of important for that.”

Jason shrugged.  “I guess he’ll have to find a new job.”

* * *

Will had to hold himself back from running all the way to Hazel’s condo after he dropped his luggage off at his apartment.  It was pathetic, he told himself; he’d only been apart from Nico for four days, and he already was this desperate to see him again.  It was bad enough that he had to call each day, Iris messaging once.  It was even worse that Nico had to use Hazel’s phone. 

Nico really needed to get his own. 

Will stepped up to the door of Hazel’s condo and knocked on the door.  He wondered if he should’ve called first – it wasn’t exactly polite to show up unannounced.  Sure, he’d told Nico that he’d come over when he got to New Rome, and Nico knew what time his flight got in, but....

Hazel opened the door before he could worry about it further.  She smirked and gestured for him to come in.  “He’s been waiting for you,” she whispered as he stepped inside.

Nico was sitting on the couch in the living room, watching an episode of _Chopped._ He was looking over the back of the sofa, watching the door, and his face lit up when he saw Will.

“Will!” he said, getting to his feet and rushing towards him.  He threw his arms around Will’s waist and hugged him tightly, but before Will could react, he pulled back.  “Sorry,” he said, looking to the side.  His cheeks flushed, his lip jutting out slightly in an almost-pout, and Will couldn’t keep himself from pulling Nico into a hug.

“Come here,” he said, folding Nico into his arms and squeezing him tightly.  “I missed you,” he whispered, closing his eyes and breathing in the scent of Nico’s shampoo.  It smelled like trees and fresh air, unlike the pomegranate scent that Nico used to favor.  Will was still getting used to the new smell, but he liked it. 

Will forced himself to let Nico go.  Glancing up at the TV that Nico had been watching, he grinned.  “Is that the episode where one of the secret ingredients is duck testicles?” he asked.

Nico laughed.  “Yeah, they just revealed that,” he answered.  “Do you want to watch with me?”

Will nodded.  “Sure,” he said, following Nico to the sofa.  He realized that Hazel had disappeared at some point, which he was grateful for; he didn’t need an audience witnessing his awkward attempts at interacting with Nico di Angelo. 

Will plopped onto the seat next to Nico, daring to sit closely enough for their legs to touch.  It felt comfortable, and when Nico slid his hand into Will’s and rested his head on Will’s shoulder, it didn’t feel forced – nerve-wracking, yes, but natural.  Will rested his cheek in Nico’s hair, reveling in the softness he’d always loved, breathing in the new smell of greenery that he was just starting to learn. 

“It’s crazy,” Nico commented. “The stuff they’re able to make out of the crap they’re given.”

Will realized Nico was talking about the show, and he drew his attention back to the TV.  He hummed in agreement, tracing the back of Nico’s hand with his palm. 

“I wish I could do that,” Nico whispered.  “I like cooking.  It feels good to, you know, _create_ something.”

“As opposed to taking something apart,” Will agreed.  Nico had whispered something similar to him in the past, just before they’d moved in together.  It had been one of the first dinners Nico had made for Will.  They’d been sitting together on the couch, Nico’s back to Will’s chest, and they’d been eating lazily, feeding each other with their fingers.  Nico had told him he loved feeling like he was _making_ something, like he was doing some good, instead of just running around thrashing his sword and killing monsters.

“Maybe one day I’ll make something for us,” Nico suggested, and the words came out quickly.  Will couldn’t see his face, but he guessed Nico was blushing.

“I’d like that,” he said, squeezing Nico’s hand.  “Maybe we can have a picnic.”

Nico sighed.  “It’s getting a bit too cold for that,” he said.  “That will have to wait until spring.”

Will’s heart leapt – part of him hoped Nico didn’t notice, but another part didn’t care.  Nico was implying they’d still be together months later.  Until that point, they’d shied away from words referencing points far in the future, instead focusing on the _now_ to figure out if they’d work.  But, more and more, Will had found himself thinking about years ahead, about inviting Nico home to see his mom, about what he’d do when he went away to med school – would Nico want to come with him?

“Yeah,” Will said.  “Then we’ll have a night in.”  He threaded his fingers through Nico’s.  “And maybe we can–”  Will stopped, quickly cutting himself off before he could say anything too embarrassing. 

“What?” Nico asked.

“We could...at my place,” Will said quietly.  “You know, so we don’t bother Hazel and Frank.  You could use my kitchen.  I’d help.”

Nico was silent for a moment, and Will wondered if he’d gone too far, if it was too soon to invite Nico over....

“Yeah,” Nico whispered.  “That would be nice.”

Nico squeezed Will’s hand before falling silent, focusing on his show.  Will followed suit, mindlessly enjoying the smell of Nico’s hair while he watched the screen. 

When the episode was over, Will asked Nico if he wanted to take a walk.  Nico agreed, and told Hazel he was going out for a bit before taking out an aviator jacket from the coat closet.

Will smirked when he saw it.  “Classic Nico,” he said, pulling on his pea coat. 

Nico grabbed the spare key and lead Will outside.  “Piper took me shopping the other day.  She said they aren’t completely out of style.”

“I like it,” Will said, taking Nico’s hand.  “Want to go to the park?”

Nico nodded, letting Will lead them down the street.  They’d gone to the park many times when they’d lived together in New Rome years before.  Will wondered if they’d have a picnic there in a few months, like they had several times on easy-going weekends in college. 

“How’s your mom?” Nico asked, disrupting Will’s thoughts.

“She’s doing well,” Will answered.  “She’s got a new album coming out soon, so the company has been busy with that, but her artists been hitting the tops of the charts lately.”  After a pause, Will said, “I told her about you.”

“Yeah?” Nico asked, his voice taking on a quiver of nervousness.

“She’s always thought of you as another son,” Will whispered.  “So when you were gone...it was hard on us.”  Swallowing, Will pushed that aside – he didn’t want to keep focusing on the past.  He wanted to be rooted in the _now,_ wanted to keep moving forward and find out what would happen next.  “She’ll keep thinking of you as a son,” he went on.  “She said that if you ever need anyone – or, like, need a mom – she’ll be there.”

Nico looked up at Will and smiled.  “You have such a good family,” he said.  “I love your mom.”

“Yeah, me too,” Will said, making Nico chuckle.  Rounding a corner, they reached the park where parents often took their children to play in New Rome.  There were various fields where some older children played sports, and trees that provided shade when college students studied outside in hotter months.  Nico and Will had often sat under those trees together, one of them resting their head on the other’s lap as they read their textbooks in silence, enjoying each other’s company without having to speak.

Nico pulled Will under one such tree and sat down, gesturing for Will to join him.  He rested his head on Will’s shoulder, holding his hand like he had when they’d sat in front of the TV earlier.  Will sighed into Nico’s hair, looking down at the empty playground.  The sun hadn’t set yet, but it was cold enough and late enough that parents had taken their children home, leaving the park largely deserted. 

“Will?” Nico whispered.  “If it’s okay, I’d like to tell you about what happened now.  About...where I was.”

Will swallowed.  “Okay,” he said.  Nico hadn’t said a word about where he’d been to Will – he’d given a little bit of information to Hazel, Percy, and Annabeth, and they’d passed it onto Will, but Nico hadn’t spoken to Will about it other than vague explanations, like ‘I made a deal with my father.’

“I didn’t want to die,” Nico said quietly, nuzzling further into Will’s side.  “I...I wasn’t ready.  So, when I got to judgment and my father came to see me, I begged for him to let me go back.  I told him I wasn’t finished yet – I still had things to do, still had a whole life to live.  It wasn’t my time.

“And he listened.  He’s not always the best dad, but...he listened.  Still, he’s Lord of the Underworld and he can’t just let anyone go.  So he told me that before I could return to the land of the living, I had to prove that I was noble enough to deserve it.  I had to withstand a three-year sentence in the fields of punishment before he would release me.”

Will squeezed Nico’s fingers, but didn’t interrupt. 

“It was actually a fairly light punishment – he could’ve done much worse.  For the three years of my sentence, there was _nothing._ I was alone.  I could see nothing – it wasn’t that it was dark, it was that I saw _nothing at all._ I had no sense of vision whatsoever.  I couldn’t hear anything, smell anything, or feel anything, not even temperature.  I’m not even sure I had a body.  Sometimes I think about it and I wonder if that’s what it would be like if I faded completely.”

“I wanted to go after you,” Will said, closing his eyes and tightening his grip on Nico’s hand.  “I wanted to go so _badly._ I was so ready to go to the underworld, to stand before your father and beg for you.  But I was so sure you’d gone to Elysium.  It would be wrong to take you from there.”

“I _know,_ Will,” Nico said.  “The dead should remain the dead, except in rare cases – like Leo, or Hazel, or me.  It’s a lesson I had to learn with Bianca.  But Leo, Hazel, and I...well, for us, it worked out, but you want to know why I think that is?  I think it’s because we weren’t ready.  It didn’t work for Orpheus.  Even Dionysus had to make his mother a goddess when he brought her back – and I wouldn’t want that fate.  But Leo and I brought _ourselves_ back because we _weren’t ready._ I brought Hazel back because she deserved another chance.”

“I’m so glad you came back,” Will whispered.  “And, gods, it’s a wonder that you’re still sane.  I can’t imagine... _gods,_ Nico.  Is there anything I can do?”

Nico traced Will’s knuckles with his thumb.  “I like feeling your hand,” he said.  “I like the warmth.  For so long, I wasn’t touched, and when you, or Hazel, or Reyna, or the others take the time to touch me and look at me and talk to me, I feel good.  It feels solid – like I’m really _here.”_

Will lifted Nico’s hand to his mouth and kissed his fingers before he could think better of it – it was the first time his lips had touched Nico’s skin since Nico had come back.  He didn’t think about that when he kissed Nico’s hand; he only thought about wanting to make Nico feel better, to remind Nico that he was there for him, to give Nico the warmth that made him feel better.

“Then I won’t let go,” Will said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know September is too early for a Christmas fic. Sorry.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love Hazel and Frank,” Nico said, flicking the joystick on the controller and pulverizing Will’s character with ease.  “But sometimes I feel like I’m intruding.  Like, they give each other googly eyes and I just feel like I’m in the way.”  After a pause, he added, “Don’t tell them I said that.  It’ll just make them feel bad.”

“My lips are sealed,” Will promised.  He tried a combination of buttons, but Nico’s fighter blocked his character before picking him up and smashing him to the ground.  “Seriously?” Will shouted in frustration as his knight was stabbed repeatedly with Nico’s twin sai, the words _Ghost King Wins!_ flashing across his TV screen.  “You’ve been out of commission for three years and you’re _still_ better than me?  You’ve never even played this game before!”

Nico folded his arms behind his head, leaning back against Will’s couch with a cocky grin.  “I’m just that good,” he said.  “That, and you suck at video games.”

Will swatted Nico’s arm playfully.  Nico giggled, shoving Will gently as Will picked his controller back up.  “Another round?” Will asked.

Nico glanced at the clock on the DVD player, and then shook his head.  “No, it’s getting pretty late.  I ought to get back; Hazel worries.  And you have your last exam tomorrow, so you should get to bed.”

Will nodded – Nico was right; as much as he hated to say goodbye, he knew it was time to call it quits.  “I’ll give you a ride home,” he said, getting to his feet and offering Nico his coat.  Nico accepted it with a smile and a thank you, letting Will lead him out the door to his car.  “So, you were talking about Hazel and Frank?” Will said as he pulled out of the parking lot. 

“Yeah,” Nico said, his eyes fixed on the dark road ahead of them.  “I mean, I just feel like...I dunno.  It’s their first Christmas together as an engaged couple, their first Christmas living together, and I just feel like I should give them some space.  So I might pop into your place every now and then, if that’s okay.”

“Better than okay,” Will answered honestly.  “And hey, if you want, my place is open for the holidays, so you could just stay with me.”

Will bit his lip, realizing what he'd just offered.  He wished he could take it back – it was too soon to suggest Nico could stay over, too soon to offer up his place....

But was it really?  Will found he _wasn’t_ uncomfortable with the idea of Nico staying with him for the holidays.  It would be fun to have time to themselves, to get to know each other better without Will having to worry about school and without the pretense of being Nico’s doctor.  It would give them time to figure out what they were.

“Would you be okay with that?” Nico said, cutting into Will’s thoughts.

“I would be,” Will answered as he pulled into the driveway in front of Hazel and Frank’s condo.  It was a quick drive, but Will didn’t move to get out of the car when he removed his keys.  “I’d just be by myself anyway, so it would be nice to have someone there with me.”  After a pause, he realized that sounded like he was making an excuse for asking.  Nervously fiddling with his keys, he added, “It would be nice to spend Christmas with you.  To, you know, have time together.  Just us.”

Nico nodded.  “Yeah.  Yeah, that would be nice.”  Clearing his throat, he brushed his hair behind his ear.  “I could...um...cook for you,” he offered.

“Yeah,” Will agreed.  “I’d like that.  Maybe you can come over this weekend, when my exams are over.”

Nico grinned.  “Okay.  I’ll talk to Hazel and Frank, let them know.”

“Right,” Will said as Nico opened up the passenger’s door, then he got out and walked Nico to the door.

“Thanks for tonight,” Nico said, reaching out and giving Will’s hand a squeeze.  “I had a lot of fun.”

“Me too,” Will answered.  He pulled Nico into a hug, fighting the desire to take Nico’s cheeks in his hands and kiss him, and when he stepped away, he knew he was blushing.  “Later, Nico,” he said, watching as Nico unlocked the door to the condo and stepped inside before getting back in his car to head home.

* * *

That weekend, when Will arrived at the condo to pick Nico up for the winter break, Hazel went outside with Nico as he loaded his suitcase into Will’s car – it was a spare suitcase that he’d borrowed from Frank, filled with the few possessions he’d acquired since he’d returned.  Frank was busy with Praetor duties, so he’d said his goodbyes earlier.

“I’ll be right back,” Nico said, “I just want to double check to make sure I got everything.” 

When Nico raced back inside, Hazel gave Will a look, approaching him with a serious expression.  “Have you told him?” she asked, her voice low.

Will shook his head.  “I’m scared,” he admitted.  “I know that I have to, and I _will,_ but I’m just so scared.  I don’t want to hurt him.  I don’t want him to look at me like I betrayed him, or like I’m....”  He sighed, brushing back his hair nervously and leaning against his car.

Hazel nodded quietly and stood beside him.  “You know, Will, art restoration is a science.”  When Will frowned, Hazel said, “Hold on, Will, I’m going somewhere with this.  As I was saying, old varnishes yellow over time, obscuring a once-beautiful painting.  A conservator’s job is to find out the composition of that old, deteriorated varnish in order to remove it before applying a new varnish and repairing the painting.”

Will raised an eyebrow.  “So, you’re telling me that my relationship with Nico is an ancient piece of art?”

Hazel rolled her eyes.  “I’m telling you to remove the old varnish, because it’s not working.  And before you start repairing what you used to have, you have to reveal what’s below the surface and clean up the grime that built up over the years.”

“So I have to get rid of my old baggage,” Will summed up.

Hazel tapped her chin, looking at the front door that Nico had disappeared through a moment before.  “Nico’s trying to figure it out.  He’s trying to find the correct composition of the varnish so that he can remove it – but _you’re_ the only one who can give it to him.”

Will nodded.  “You’re right, I know.  I have to tell him.”

“Do it soon,” Hazel advised.  “Before you get in too far.  It’s only going to get harder, Will, and it’s never good to keep secrets in a relationship.”

Nico came out before Will could respond, smiling as he made his way to the car.  “Seems like that’s everything,” he said.  “And anyway, I’ll just be up the block, if I need anything else.”

“And don’t forget it,” Hazel said, pulling Nico into a hug.  “Have fun, Nico.”

“I will,” Nico promised, kissing her forehead.  “And you and Frank have a good time, too.  I’ll see you when we come over on Christmas Eve in a few days.”

Hazel waved them off as they got into the car and drove away, sparing one last glance at Will, as if to say _I’m trusting you to take care of him._

And Will intended to do just that. 

They’d hung out at Will’s apartment a few times before, so Nico knew the layout, but Will showed him where the extra linens were and offered him an empty drawer in his dresser so that he wouldn’t have to dig through his suitcase.  Nico offered to make dinner for them, asking if he could use the kitchen, and Will said he was free to use what he wanted.

It wasn’t until Nico shouted his name that he remembered how poorly stocked his kitchen was.

“What is this?” Nico demanded angrily, gesturing to the frozen dinners in his freezer.  “Is this all that you _eat?”_

“Uh, no,” Will answered nervously.  “I have fruit and lunchmeat and bread–”

“Lunchmeat that’s expired and bread that has turned _blue,”_ Nico corrected, his lip curling in disgust.  “Will, is this really how you live?  No wonder you haven’t let me in your kitchen before now.  You should be ashamed of yourself.”  Storming past Will, Nico grabbed his coat.  “We’re going to the grocery store,” he announced, throwing Will his jacket.

Will chuckled before following Nico to the car.  “Is this what _I_ sound like?” he asked as they got inside and put on their seatbelts.  “It’s quite the role reversal.”

Nico smirked, but Will could tell that he was trying not to.  “Which means you should know better!” he scolded.  “Seriously, all you do is lecture people on their health habits, but you live off of frozen meals.”

“There are vegetables in them!” Will insisted, turning the corner to head to the grocery store.

 _“Vegetables_ my ass,” Nico muttered.  “Most of them were chicken fingers and mashed potatoes.”

Will shrugged guiltily.  “What can I say?  I’m a southern boy.”  He tossed Nico a smile, letting his accent slip out just slightly.

Nico snorted.  “Don’t you try using that southern charm on me, Solace!” he snapped.  “I know all your tricks.  You’re not getting out of this so easily.”

Will chuckled.  “You’re too cute,” he said.

“How am I being _cute?”_ Nico demanded incredulously.  “I’m _serious,_ Will!”

Will laughed heartily all the way to the grocery store.  Nico yelled until he decided that his time was better spent brooding, and gave Will the silent treatment until Will tried to put poptarts in their cart, just to see how Nico would respond, at which point Nico looked about ready to blow a gasket. 

Nico made a simple pasta dish for dinner that night, and later they curled up on the sofa together and played video games until Nico started yawning. 

“Getting sleepy?” Will asked, putting down his controller.

Nico shrugged.  “A little,” he answered. 

“You can take the bed,” Will said.  He got to his feet and stretched.

“What?” Nico asked.  “No.  It’s your bed, Will.  I’m fine on the couch.”

Will rolled his eyes – he’d expected Nico to put up a fight.  “You’re my _guest,”_ he said.  “Southern boy, remember?  You’re not gonna win this fight, Nico.”

“Then let’s at least trade off,” Nico said.  “I’ll take the bed for tonight, but tomorrow, you have to switch with me.”

Will shrugged, knowing that it was the best way to make Nico stop arguing with him.  “Alright,” he agreed.  “Just let me get changed.”  He left Nico in the living room as he walked to the bedroom to change into his pajamas.

“I was thinking we could go into the city tomorrow, if you’re up for it,” Will called as he changed his shirt.  “Finish up with Christmas shopping and stuff.  We can make a day of it.”

“Okay,” came Nico’s answer.  Will pulled up his pajama bottoms, tossing his old clothes in the hamper before walking out of his room and grabbing an extra pillow and blanket.  “I still have to get gifts for a few people,” Nico went on as Will walked back into the living room. 

“Then we’ll take care of that tomorrow,” Will answered.  “Okay.  Confession time.  I haven’t bought you a gift yet.”

“I haven’t bought you one, either,” Nico admitted.  “I didn’t know what to get.  What do you want?”

Will chewed the inside of his lip nervously, because he _did_ have an idea, but it was probably one of the corniest ideas he’d ever come up with – which was saying something.  “Promise you won’t think it’s dumb?”

“No,” Nico answered honestly.  “But I _do_ promise not to make fun of you _too_ much.”

Will laughed, scratching the back of his neck.  “Okay.  I want you to make Christmas dinner.”

Nico blinked in surprise.  “That’s it?  I mean, I was thinking I’d do that anyway, since you’re a nightmare in the kitchen.”

“I’m not a _complete_ disaster,” Will protested.  “I can get by.  But, yeah, that’s what I want.  And I want you to let me help.  I know you don’t trust me in the kitchen, but you have to let me in just this once.  I really just want to spend the day hanging out with you, and I know you like cooking, and you had fun when you were cooking with Frank and Hazel for Thanksgiving.  I want to have something like that with just the two of us.  Maybe we can just have a night in, sit at the sofa and watch Christmas movies, eating until we explode.  That would make me happy.”

Nico bit his lip.  “That’s adorable,” he said, grinning when Will blushed.  “We can do that.”

Will smiled.  “Okay.  And what about you?  What do you want?”

Nico hummed, tapping his chin in thought.  “Will you let me think about it?” he asked.  “I’m not really sure yet.”

Will nodded.  “Alright – but I’m not going to let you off the hook.  You have to tell me eventually.”

Nico got to his feet, covering his mouth as he yawned.  “Yeah, yeah.  I promise.”

Will tsked, but he couldn’t keep himself from grinning.  “Night, Nico.  If you need anything, don’t hesitate to come and get me.”

Nico smiled sleepily.  “Good night,” he said.  He lingered in front of Will for a second longer, like he was waiting to see if Will would do anything else, before he left for Will’s bedroom.

Will knew what Nico was waiting for – he knew Nico was ready to take the next step.  He knew Nico was holding off, hoping for a sign that Will was ready, too.

But Will _wasn’t_ ready.  And Nico shouldn’t be ready either – not until he knew everything about the affairs Will had gotten himself into, about the way he’d dishonored Nico’s memory and used other people to soothe the ache in his chest.  Nico deserved to know just what kind of person he was getting involved with.

Will closed his eyes.  And _he_ needed to stop thinking that way.  He’d gotten so much better about it in recent years, thanks to the therapy he’d attended and the antidepressants he was on, as well as support from his friends and his mother.  When Nico came back, he’d resurrected the guilt and self-loathing that Will had worked so hard to overcome.  Will couldn’t let that ruin things for him again.

Sighing to himself, Will flopped onto the sofa and adjusted the pillow beneath his head.  He really had to tell Nico, and soon.

* * *

Nico woke up with a gasp, startled by the sudden change of scenery.  Closing his eyes, he thought back to the nightmare he’d just had, to the memories of the nothingness that had seeped into his dream.  Shuddering, rubbed his face and reminded himself that it was _over,_ that his debt was paid, and that he was back among the living. 

He hadn’t had a nightmare in a week or so.  It was probably the change in environment that had spurred it on; he’d always been sensitive to changes like that, rarely able to get a good night’s sleep in foreign hotel rooms unless he’d mapped out possible escape routes before hand, or he knew someone would be taking watch while he was asleep.

Nico rolled over, trying to get comfortable in the pillows.  He shivered, burrowing into the covers and breathing in Will’s scent, letting it wash over him and calm him, wishing that Will was there to hold him and promise that everything was alright....

Nico opened his eyes.  Will _was_ there, he suddenly remembered.  He was just in the other room, and he’d told Nico to wake him if he needed anything.  Nico didn’t want to bother him, didn’t want to disturb his sleep, but he wanted the comfort he knew Will could give.  Sitting up, he glanced at the door, wondering if he should go out to the living room to see Will, at least to remind himself that Will was still there, that Will was _real_ and breathing and nearby. 

Nico slid out of the bed, hissing when his feet hit the cold floor, and padded out of Will’s bedroom and into the living room, sighing in relief when he saw Will sleeping on the sofa.  Kneeling beside the sofa and nudging Will’s shoulder gently, Nico called out to him in a soft voice.  “Will?”

Will made a sound before rolling onto his back, blinking up at him.  “Nico?” he asked, his voice low and rough from just waking up.  “What’s wrong?”

“Bad dream,” Nico whispered.  “Can I...?”  He gestured to Will’s side silently, too embarrassed to ask Will to hold onto him.

“Yeah,” Will said, scooting over on the sofa and making room for Nico.  He lifted the blanket, allowing Nico to slide in beside him.  Nico curled into Will’s chest, wrapping an arm around Will’s waist as Will covered them with the blanket.  “You okay?” Will asked.

“Yeah,” Nico answered.  “Just a little shaken up.  It wasn’t too bad.”

“Good.”  Will rubbed along Nico’s spine, massaging the soft fabric of Nico’s t-shirt into his skin.  Nico sighed, loving the soothing sensation of Will’s hands on his body and soaking in the comfortable silence that settled around them. 

Will had been quiet for so long that Nico thought he might have fallen back asleep when Will squeezed the arm he’d draped around Nico’s waist and pressed his cheek into Nico’s hair.  “You’re so soft,” he whispered.

Nico grunted.  He didn’t _want_ to be soft – he just hadn’t quite gained his figure back yet.  He’d been more concerned with getting bed rest and the nutrition his body needed, and he’d only just started working out more, trying to get his body back in shape.

“What?” Will asked in response to Nico’s grumble.

“Nothing,” Nico muttered.  “It’s just...I know my body isn’t exactly what it was before.”

He felt Will’s sigh make the hair on his head flutter, and then Will was pulling back slightly to look Nico in the eye.  “You’ve been worried about that?”

Nico shrugged.  “A little.  It’s just one of those things that’s not the same as before.  One of those things I miss.  I was never, you know, absolutely in love with my body, but I was a lot healthier back then.”

“Yeah, well, you also hadn’t just risen from the dead,” Will pointed out, his fingers playing down Nico’s side.  “It’s only been a couple months, Nico.  It’ll take a little while to build up your body to where it was before.  We can work out together, if you want.  I could use a buddy.”

“That...actually sounds good,” Nico said. 

“But,” Will added, moving his hand to brush through Nico’s hair, “if you want to get in shape, do it because you want to take care of yourself.  There’s nothing wrong with wanting to _look_ a little healthier, but don’t let that be your main motivator.  Okay?  You’re gorgeous, Nico.”

He appreciated that Will didn’t just blindly assure him that his figure was fine.  Will was concerned with his health and with his self-confidence – he’d help Nico improve his wellbeing _and_ get his body to a point that he felt comfortable in it.

“Okay,” Nico answered.  “Thanks.  Sorry, it seems kind of vain, doesn’t it?”

Will shook his head.  “I let myself go for a while,” he admitted.  “You know, after you died.  I wasn’t doing a good job of taking care of my body.  And, gods, I felt so self-conscious about it, but then I also thought that I was an idiot because I was upset about not having _abs._ That should’ve been the least of my worries.”  Will sighed, twirling a lock of Nico’s hair around his finger.  “Anyway.  Once things calmed down a little, a few friends tried to get me to go work out, invited me along with them, but I just...didn’t want to.  I felt like I’d slow them down.  It wasn’t until my _dad_ came to visit me that I actually started to do something about it.  At first I thought he was just, I don’t know, trying to get me to stop messing up his image because I wasn’t the picture perfect son.  But then he actually sat down with me and talked about how I needed to take care of my body, and about how exercise and proper nutrition would help me sleep, keep me more alert, and just make me a happier person overall.  Something about that talk kind of kicked me into gear, and I realized that if I wanted to be a doctor, I had to start living a healthier life.  So I worked harder at that.  It didn’t solve everything, but it helped.”

Nico slid his hand over Will’s stomach, feeling the lean muscle under the cotton of his shirt.  “I didn’t know that,” he murmured, glancing up into Will’s eyes.

Eyes that were very blue, and watching Nico intently.  He had that serious look that had always made Nico’s breath catch for a second – a reaction that hadn’t changed. 

“I’m so sorry,” Nico said.  “I know it wasn’t my fault, but I left you.  Jason, Piper, Hazel...they’ve told me that you had a really hard time.  It was because of me.”

Will rested his hand over Nico’s, pressing Nico’s palm against his belly.  “It was worth it, though.  Having you for the time that I did...I never regretted any of it for a second.”

Nico felt his face burn, his chest warming in excitement.  He looked at Will’s eyes, the slight part in his pink lips, and he wanted to lean up, just a bit further, to feel the pressure of Will’s mouth on his.

Will turned his head to the side, pulling away from Nico and sitting up.  “Anyway,” he said.  “What time is it?”

“Five-ish,” Nico answered, fighting to keep the disappointment out of his voice when Will’s body moved away. 

“Might as well get dressed and find something to eat, since we’re already up,” Will said, stretching his arms above his head.  Nico watched his back muscles pull below his shirt, lifting the hem to reveal a stripe of skin.  He looked away, blushing.  “If we want to go Christmas shopping, we’ll have to leave early and beat the rush.”

Will climbed over Nico, excusing himself as he went off to shower and change, and Nico sat on the couch for a minute before going into the kitchen to get breakfast ready.  He mulled over Will’s reluctance to get close to him as he chopped up some peppers to make omelets, wondering if he was pushing Will to go too quickly.

Will _seemed_ like he wanted to get closer to Nico, and Will was giving Nico all those looks, those stray touches that Nico knew meant that Will was very much interested.  But every time they started to get close to the point of kissing, or anytime hugs lasted a little too long, Will would pull away, close himself off, and make some kind of lighthearted comment to diffuse the situation.  Will hadn’t even allowed kisses on the cheek or forehead – the only time either of their lips had touched the other person had been back in November when Will kissed Nico’s hand after Nico told him about his sentence in the fields of punishment.

Nico knew he had to wait for Will to be ready, he _knew_ he had to be patient, but he just didn’t _get_ it.  Will kept sending a mixture of signals, and it was getting confusing.  He wished Will would just _talk_ to him about the problem, wished Will would just open up to him so that they could fix it.  Nico didn’t like feeling like he was being shut out, kept in the dark – and, after all, hadn’t _Will_ been the one insisting that they communicate?

When Will came out from the shower, Nico smiled and served him his breakfast.  Will thanked him, complimented his cooking, and Nico ate beside him before running off to take his own shower, forcing himself to stop thinking about what Will _wasn’t_ doing so he could focus on what they were doing right. 

And, Nico knew, there were a lot of things that they were doing right.

Will passed Nico his phone when they got in the car, giving him free reign over the music, and sang along the whole ride to Berkeley.  He suggested a few songs for Nico to listen to, ones that had come out during the three years Nico had missed.

“This one always made me think about you,” Will said, turning up the volume slightly when one song started playing. 

Nico listened to it – it was by a boy band, the kind of sappy love ballad that Nico had always hated.  “Why?” he asked, curling his lip.

Will laughed.  “Because I knew you’d make that face,” he said, sparing him a glance before fixing his eyes back on the road.

Nico scowled to hide his blush – because Will still _knew_ him so well, even after three years, and because Will had admitted that he hadn’t forgotten about Nico. 

Will turned into the parking lot of the mall, finding an empty spot quickly; it was still early in the morning and the mall wasn’t crowded yet.  “What were you thinking of getting Hazel and Frank?” Will asked when they got out of the car, locking the doors with a click. 

Nico shrugged.  “I don’t know,” he admitted.  “I was kind of hoping you’d help with that.”

Will hummed thoughtfully, opening the door to the mall for Nico.  “I dunno.  I got everyone wine from a vineyard near my mom’s place.  It’s an easy gift, and last time I got some they all told me to bring more back the next time I went home.”

“Too bad I didn’t grab some pomegranates on my way out of the Underworld,” Nico mumbled, earning himself a look from Will.  “Sorry,” he said.  “Poor taste?”

“A little,” Will admitted.  “Save those jokes for Leo.  He’d appreciate them.”

Nico chuckled as they walked passed a few clothing stores.  Glancing at Will, he asked, “Can I hold your hand?”

Will smiled, his cheeks turning faintly pink.  “Yeah,” he answered, holding out his hand for Nico to take.  When Nico curled their fingers together, he squeezed his hand, saying, “You used to be too nervous to do this in public.”

Nico nodded.  He could remember the time when he’d still been fighting to accept himself, still trying to come to terms with his own sexuality.  Will had helped him with that, but Nico still had to overcome his problems on his own.  He’d had to realize that not everyone judged him for who he liked, and as for those who did...well, Nico had to learn to not care.

“I’m not nervous anymore,” Nico said.  “Well, I mean, I _am_ nervous, but not for the same reasons.”

He watched Will chew at the inside of his lip before admitting, “Me, too.  I’m nervous, too.”

Nico smiled reassuringly instead of answering, glancing up as they passed by a pet shop.  “Think I could find something for Frank in there?” he asked.

Will laughed.  “Like what, a hamster wheel?”

“Or a litter box,” Nico agreed.  He paused.  “Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him turn into a cat.”

“He’s allergic,” Will explained.  “The one time he did try turning into a cat, Hazel had to carry him in cat-form to the infirmary because he couldn’t stop sneezing long enough to turn back.”

Nico laughed so hard that he had to stop walking, using his free hand to wipe his eyes.  “Oh, my gods.  When did that happen?”

“Last year, I think?” Will said.  “It was all anyone would talk about for a while.  Leo got him a ball of yarn and some catnip that Christmas.”

“Dammit, Leo,” Nico muttered.  “Taking all the good ideas while I’m gone.”  One store caught his eye, so he pointed to it.  “Can we go there?  Piper likes that store.  Maybe I can find something for her.”

Later, after Nico bought gifts for almost everyone – except Hazel and Frank, who he had _no idea_ how to thank for opening their house for him when he needed a place to stay – he bought some hot dogs from the food court for Will and himself.  They sat down near the kid’s play area to eat, watching the children running around. 

“I could just bake for them,” Nico said.  “I mean, I want it to be a really well thought-out gift, so it would be nice to actually _make_ something.”

Will nodded.  “I think they’d like that,” he agreed before taking the last bite of his hot dog.  “Well, we should stop by the grocery store on the way home,” he said.  “Get some ingredients so that you can make something for Hazel and Frank.”

 

Will pointed outside the car when they passed an ice rink on their way back, asking Nico if he wanted to try it out.

“I’m terrible at it,” Nico admitted.

“Yeah, I know you are,” Will said.  “I am, too.  Skiing is fine, snowboarding I can do, but I _suck_ when it comes to ice skating.  That’s just part of the fun.  So you down?”

Nico shrugged.  “Sure, why not?” he said.  Will whooped, flicking on his turn signal and making his way over to the ice rink.  He paid to rent their skates, and helped Nico onto the ice when they’d put up their shoes, but despite his confident demeanor, he wasn’t any more graceful than Nico.

They held onto the railing before working up the courage to venture further out, laughing at each other when they stumbled.  After they got the hang of it, Will reached out and took Nico’s hand, and they stayed side-by-side, chatting idly, until Will stuck his foot out at an awkward angle and slipped.  Nico laughed, offering Will his hands and helped him up.  Will gave him a look when he didn’t stop giggling – but not a look like he was annoyed or embarrassed.  His lips were slightly parted, his eyes bright, and his cheeks flushed – it was that look of adoration that Nico knew from years before.  Will cupped Nico’s cheek in his hand and Nico wondered if Will was finally going to do it, was finally going to work up the courage to kiss him. 

But Will pulled away and tugged on Nico’s hand, suggesting that they start heading home, as it was getting late and they still had to run and grab groceries. 

Nico nodded, trying not to be disappointed.  A part of him was actually glad Will had pulled away.  He  _knew_ something was up with Will; there had to be a reason Will hadn’t kissed him yet, and he didn’t want to kiss until he talked to Will about it.  So he didn’t mention it when they got back into the car to head back to New Rome and stop by the grocery store on their way to Will’s apartment. 

“You sure you don’t want me to help?” Will asked, peering over Nico’s shoulder as he turned on the mixer to blend the ingredients for the cookie dough together.

“Yes, Will,” Nico said, elbowing him to get him out of his space.  “Don’t think I don’t remember the time you set my casserole on fire.  I left you with clear instructions on what to do, and yet you _somehow_ managed to mess it up as dramatically as possible.”

Will pouted.  “It wasn’t on _fire,”_ he insisted.  “It just got a little smoky.  Besides, that was _years_ ago.  I’ve gotten better, I promise.”

Nico pushed past him with the mixing bowl, setting it on the counter next to the cookie sheet.  He started to spoon the dough into rows on the sheet, ignoring Will when he slid up next to him.

“That job looks easy enough,” Will commented.  “You sure I can’t take care of that while you work on the next batch?”

“I’m sure.”  Nico finished spooning out the dough and turned to put the cookie sheets in the preheated oven, switching on the timer before turning back around to get started on the next recipe he wanted to try.  Will was leaning up against the counter, the spoon that Nico had used to scoop out the cookie dough with sticking out of his mouth.  “Will!” Nico shouted, slapping him with his oven mitt.

Will giggled.  “But it tastes good!”

“Out!” Nico demanded, pushing Will away from the kitchen.

Will dug his feet into the ground, forcing Nico to put his whole weight into it in order to get Will to move.  “It’s _my_ kitchen,” he pointed out.

“You don’t deserve a kitchen!” Nico grunted.  When Will poked his head back in, Nico powdered his face with flour, but gave in when Will begged him to let him help again, pathetically stating that he just wanted to be involved, and was pleasantly surprised to find that Will _wasn’t_ as terrible as he had been the last time Will had tried to help.  He did have to stop Will from sticking spoonfuls of cookie dough in his mouth a few times. 

Later that evening, when most of the cookies were cooling, Will set up a plate and them into the living room, asking Nico if he wanted to catch one of the Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel.  Nico agreed, and he finished setting out the cookies while Will set up the TV and then lounged on the sofa to wait for him.  When Nico stepped into the living room, he swallowed at the sight of Will’s body leisurely draped over the cushions, and gathered his courage before heading over and sliding in between Will’s legs, his back to Will’s chest. 

Will didn’t tell him not to.  He wrapped an arm around Nico, resting his hand on Nico’s belly, and didn’t say a word about it.  Nico idly rubbed the arm Will had thrown around him as the movie played, reaching over to grab a cookie every now and then.  They picked apart the movie, groaning at the clichés and expressing their general discontent at the progression of the plot.

“And here comes the completely unnecessary rival,” Nico muttered when the male protagonist’s brother entered the scene.

“You sure?” Will asked, munching on a cookie.  “He seems like a fairly cool guy to me.”

“Just wait,” Nico insisted. 

Sure enough, in the next scene, the brother was shown gazing longingly at the female protagonist, and Will said, “Okay, you were spot on.  How could you tell?”

Nico grinned.  “Easy.  He’s single, straight, and hot.  There’s one of them in every movie.”

“Hm,” Will mumbled, resting his chin on top of Nico’s head.  “Not as hot as me though, right?”

Nico rolled his eyes.  “Not as hot as you,” he assured.  “And it helps that you aren’t straight.”

“True,” Will said.  After a pause, he added, “I think you’re hot, too.  Just in case you were wondering.”

Nico giggled.  “You’re such a dork, Will.”  He squeezed the hand Will had placed on his belly.

When the movie ended, they let the next one start playing without discussing it; Nico didn’t want to move, and he could tell that Will didn’t want to, either.  He just nuzzled comfortably into Will’s chest, enjoying the warmth of Will’s body pressed against his. 

Will reached for the remote and turned the TV off after the second movie, but his arms returned to Nico.  He didn’t say anything; he only sighed and let his head rest against the arm of the sofa.

Nico rolled onto his side, laying with his cheek on Will’s chest.  “That was the most predictable ending ever.”

“I disagree,” Will said, one hand moving to tease Nico’s hair.  “All Hallmark movies are that predictable.  They have the same plot.”

Nico chuckled.  “And, for some reason, we keep watching them.”

Will smiled, tightening his hold on his waist.  “It’s because I like seeing you get all teary-eyed even though you pretend you hate them.”

Nico’s face twisted with distaste.  “I do _not!”_ he snapped. 

“Yes, you do,” Will teased.  “Your sclera is pink.  Nico di Angelo, the Ghost King himself, cries when he watches Hallmark Christmas movies.”

“Will!” Nico said, lifting himself up on his elbow and shoving at Will’s shoulder.  “You’re such a _nerd._ No one says  _sclera_ in actual real life.”Will laughed, and Nico couldn’t help giggling, resting his hands gently on Will’s chest as he leaned up to press his forehead against Will’s. 

Will didn’t pull away; he didn’t make any excuses.  He only stared back at Nico, smiling gently, and Nico swallowed, his heart fluttering in his chest.  Nico licked his lips nervously, knowing that _he_ had to be the one to take the first step and _he_ had to tell Will what he wanted.  Nico needed to know what Will was thinking, what had Will worried, and he wouldn’t know until they talked about it.  “Will,” he said, pausing to clear his throat when his voice came out as a croak.  “I want to kiss you.”

There was a flash of something that Nico couldn’t read across Will’s face before he whispered, “I want to kiss you, too.”  Nico sighed in relief.  He started to move closer, but Will stopped him with a hand on Nico’s shoulder.  “Wait.  Nico, I....”

Nico bit his lip, pulling away from Will and settling back on his knees, between Will’s legs on the sofa.  Will wasn’t meeting his eyes; he was glancing aside, his expression conflicted.  “Will, what’s wrong?  You keep closing off and pulling away whenever it seems like something’s about to happen.  If you aren’t ready, that’s fine; I can wait.  I just need to know–”

“Nico,” Will interrupted.  “I have to tell you something.  I wanted to tell you before, but...I just...Nico, I’m so sorry.”  Will closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath, and Nico reached for his hand. 

“It’s okay,” Nico assured, rubbing the skin of his hand in slow, soothing motions.  “It’s okay.  You can tell me now.”

Will swallowed, pushing himself up to lean against the arm of the couch, clinging to Nico’s hand like he _needed_ it.  “I...I told you that I didn’t date anyone while you were gone, and I didn’t, but I....”

“But there was someone else?” Nico asked, understanding.  He felt his chest tighten at the idea, but he knew that he’d been gone _three years;_ and Will could’ve – should’ve, even – moved on.

Will shook his head.  “No.  Not someone.  There were several people.  Not recently, but there was a time, not long after you died, when I got...I got _bad._ I’d just lost you, and I couldn’t deal with it, and I was desperate.  And....”

“And you tried to find comfort with others,” Nico finished.  Nico told himself it wasn’t his business, that Will had had the right to kiss other people and sleep with other people when he thought Nico was gone for good.  And yet, he still felt that ugly jealousy tugging at his chest.

Will nodded.  “It didn’t work.  It never felt right.  I always felt empty and guilty.”  After a pause, he whispered, “I’m so sorry, Nico.”

“Don’t be,” Nico said, giving Will’s hand a squeeze and trying to push away the knots in his own belly.  “You didn’t do anything wrong.  You weren’t obligated to live like a saint while I was gone – how could you have known I’d come back?”

“That’s not why I’m sorry,” Will said, looking down at Nico’s hand around his.  He took in a shaky breath before continuing.  “I’m sorry because I was trying to replace you in that empty, physical kind of way.  And Jason was so angry – _everyone_ was angry – Jason said I was running around sleeping with people that I was pretending were you, like the only thing I cared about in our relationship was the sex, and gods, Nico, that wasn’t how I felt about you, but that was exactly what I was acting like.  I was trying to replace you physically, trying to get back some of that love that I got from you, but that _wasn’t_ the love I needed – it was just the only love I could get.  I loved you so much, and when you were gone, I disrespected your memory.  I took everything _good_ that we were and I completely destroyed it by dragging it through the mud.  It wasn’t fair to you, or to me, or the people I used.”

“But I understand why you did it,” Nico said.  He thought back to the conversation he’d had with Jason over Thanksgiving about how Jason had said that he and Will had gotten into an ugly rivalry, and the story suddenly made so much more sense to him.  But Jason had forgiven Will, and Nico thought that spoke _miles;_ that Jason, as overprotective as he could be, had not only _excused_ Will, but he’d also _encouraged_ Nico to stay with him.  If Nico had had any doubts about Will, Jason’s testament would have cleared that up.  But Nico _wasn’t_ angry, and he _didn’t_ feel betrayed, not really.  He was shaken and surprised, but he knew that Will was far more upset by this than he was. “I’m not mad, Will.  Maybe a little _jealous_ , and sad that you were in such a bad place.  Sad that you still feel guilty about it.” 

“I was so scared to tell you,” Will whispered, his head still angled downwards.  “I didn’t want to disappoint you.  I didn’t want you to look at me like I hurt you, or like I disgusted you, or....”

“Will, no,” Nico said, reaching out to cradle the side of Will’s head.  “I don’t...I wouldn’t feel that way.”

“You deserved to know,” Will choked, raising his head to look at Nico, and Nico realized that he was crying.  He wondered when that had started; Will hadn’t looked up at him until then.  He dragged his thumb over the corner of Will’s eye as Will continued to sob, babbling to Nico like he _still_ needed to explain, like he _still_ needed Nico to hear everything that he’d done.  “You deserved to make your own decision about if you still want to be with a person like me, someone who falls apart and does terrible things like that when they get upset, someone who looked to _strangers_ for a shallow kind of comfort that doesn’t help at _all,_ but it was so disgustingly addictive and I couldn’t stop and I....”

Nico hushed him, bending down and wrapping his arms around Will’s waist.  Will clawed at his back, burying his face into Nico’s neck as his shoulders shook, leaking tears onto Nico’s t-shirt. 

“I’m so sorry, Nico,” Will sobbed.

“I forgive you,” Nico answered, rubbing Will’s back with one hand while the other trailed to Will’s head, petting his blond hair.  “Of course I forgive you.”

* * *

Will woke up the next morning in his bed to the smell of something sweet.  Rubbing his eyes and yawning, memories form the night before flooded back into his mind with a mixture of dread and relief.

Relief because he’d finally done it; he’d told Nico the whole truth. 

Dread because whatever lighthearted romance they had been engaging in would be over; now it was up to Nico to decide whether or not he wanted to continue with the relationship.  And even if Nico _did_ want to keep going, this was something that they couldn’t just erase.  It was time for them to be more _serious,_ rather than just flirting and happily rediscovering how much they loved being with each other. 

Will deflated into his pillows, digging the palms of his hands into his eyes.  At least it was over.  At least he wasn’t still _hiding_ it, because that was far worse.

He was startled by a soft knock on his door.  “Will?” Nico called.  “Are you up?”

Will sighed.  “Yeah,” he croaked, his voice rough from just waking up.

“Can I come in?” Nico asked.

Swallowing, Will forced himself to sit up.  “Yeah,” he answered.

Nico pushed the door open, smiling at Will as he made his way over.  He hadn’t changed out of his plaid pajama bottoms yet, and there was a splash of flour on his t-shirt.  “I made pancakes,” he said, sitting down on the edge of the bed.  “Want to get up and eat?”

“You’re being awfully sweet,” Will observed, then he mentally kicked himself; that wasn’t the right thing to say right then.  Granted, he wasn’t totally sure what the right thing to say _was._

But Nico just smiled, gently touching his hair before letting his hands fall into his lap.  “Yeah, well, you had a rough night,” Nico said.  “I know that must have been hard for you to tell me, but I’m glad you did.  And I know that keeping it a secret was probably tough on you.  You’ve been worrying this whole time all by yourself.  That must have been scary.”

Will swallowed, not answering, because of all the possible scenarios he’d imagined, _this_ was not one of them. 

“So, I just wanted to tell you that it’s _okay,”_ Nico went on.  “I know now, so you don’t have to feel bad about keeping it a secret.  You don’t have to deal with that alone anymore.  We’re going to be okay, Will.”  Nico paused to pat Will’s thigh through the blankets.  “Come on.  I put chocolate chips in the pancakes and the coffee should be ready soon.”

Will nodded, letting Nico pull him out of bed.  He stepped into a pair of slippers before following Nico into the kitchen, where Nico served him a stack of pancakes and poured him a cup of coffee just the way he liked it – the way only _Nico_ ever seemed to be able to make it.  He smiled at the memory of how he used to tease Nico about how Will liked his coffee the way he liked his boys: Italian.  Nico would blush and roll his eyes every time Will said it, accusing him of being unoriginal.

Will took a bottle of medication out of the cabinet and popped out his daily antidepressant.  He hadn’t mentioned to Nico that he was taking them.  He knew Nico had seen him take his medicine every day, but Nico hadn’t asked what they were for.

For some reason, Will had been a little bit scared to tell Nico.  He knew it was pointless to feel that way; Nico was on antidepressants, too.   _Will_ was the one who had talked to him about them and suggested he get a prescription in the first place.  Nico wouldn’t judge him.  Still, it made Will nervous.

“Thanks,” Will said when Nico sat down across from him.  His voice sounded tired and emotionless to his own ears, so he made sure to add, “I...um.  I really appreciate it, Nico.”

Nico smiled.  “It’s no problem.  I like being able to take care of you every now and then.”  He gestured to Will’s plate with his fork.  “Eat up.  We’ve got to wrap presents before we go to Hazel and Frank’s this evening.”

Will’s eyes widened.  “It’s Christmas eve,” he realized – he had forgotten. 

“Yes, it is,” Nico acknowledged.  “I was thinking that for dinner tomorrow I’d make a few appetizers – you know, just little finger foods, instead of a whole meal.  I was going to make some bruschetta, a caprese salad, and crostini.”

“What?” Will asked, and then he realized Nico was talking about what Will had asked him for the other day.  “Oh, yeah.  That sounds nice.”  After a pause, he added, “You haven’t told me what you want yet.”

“I have an idea,” Nico said with a smile.  “But I’m still thinking.”

Will nodded, turning back to his pancakes.  He finished breakfast without saying much of anything else; instead, he listened as Nico babbled about his plans for dinner the next evening.  They spent the remainder of morning sitting on the floor of Will’s living room wrapping presents.  Nico wrote names on the tags of Will’s presents at Will’s request – Nico’s penmanship was beautiful, while Will’s was so bad that Nico used to tease him about his doctor’s handwriting. 

They didn’t get dressed until the afternoon, after Nico made a light lunch that consisted of sandwiches and a salad, insisting that Will relax and take a warm shower while he prepared it.  Will had just nodded, lost in thought, and decided that the best thing to do at the moment was whatever Nico told him.  He felt low on energy, but his mood gradually brightened throughout the day, his heart feeling lighter every time Nico smiled at him or reached out to touch him, and by the time Nico asked him if he wanted to play a few rounds of the new game Will had introduced him to, Will was smiling readily.

Nico turned off the TV that evening when they had to start getting ready to go, and they put on their shoes and coats, gathering up their gifts and loading them into the car before driving over to Hazel and Frank’s.

Leo, Calypso, Reyna, Jason, and Piper were already there when Will and Nico arrived.  They were greeted with smiles and open arms, and Leo offered them both a glass of Calypso’s homemade eggnog, which they accepted.  Nico sat next to Will when they moved to the living room, his fingers lightly stroking Will’s wrist as he chatted idly with the others, waiting for Percy and Annabeth to arrive.  Leo had brought along his latest invention: _Smooch Surprise! Mobile Mistletoe,_ which disappeared and randomly reappeared in different parts of the house, announcing its presence with the sound of sleighbells.  Leo and Piper were the first to get caught under it, and Piper ruffled his hair and kissed his cheek.  Will was fairly quiet as he watched Nico’s hand on his wrist absently, and he had lost track of the conversation by the time the doorbell rang and Frank got up to answer it.

“Hey, guys,” Frank said, ushering Percy and Annabeth inside.  “Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas!” Annabeth replied, and she and Percy hugged the others as they got up to greet them.

“Want some eggnog?” Leo asked, already reaching for a glass.

“Is it alcoholic?” Percy asked, pulling Jason in for their trademark bro hug.

“’Course it is!” Leo replied with a maniacal grin.

“Then no,” Annabeth said as Percy helped her out of her coat.  “Not with the baby on the way.”

There was a moment of utter silence in the condo, except for the jingle of “Sleigh Ride” playing softly in the background.

“Say _what?”_ Leo asked.

“We’re pregnant!” Percy answered, swooping down to kiss Annabeth’s cheek.  “There’s a new little camper on the way.”

“No _way,”_ Jason said, his jaw dropping.

“We just found out a few weeks ago,” Annabeth admitted.  “And we thought tonight would be the time to tell you.”

The room burst with choruses of _that’s great!_ and _congratulations_ and _when is the date?_   Hazel and Piper asked to feel Annabeth’s belly, at which point Will pointed out that it was far too early for them to _feel_ anything, but they didn’t care. 

“So, Percy, do _you_ want eggnog?” Leo asked, still holding up the glass he had been ready to pour.

“Nah, I’ll pass,” Percy answered.  “If Annabeth can’t drink, I don’t, either.”

“It’s okay, Percy,” Annabeth insisted.  “It’s Christmas – go ahead.”

Percy rolled his eyes, but it was affectionate.  “Annabeth, if you’re going to suffer through 40 weeks of this, the _least_ I can do is go cold turkey.  It’s not a big deal.”

Reyna chuckled.  “You two are going to be such good parents,” she said.  There was a round of agreements from the other demigods before Nico turned to Percy and Annabeth.

“I still can’t believe you two got _married_ without me being there,” he pouted.  “Couldn’t you have waited for another year?”

Percy and Annabeth laughed, and Leo said, “Hey, how do you think _I_ felt when I got back from the dead to find out that moody little Goth Kid found himself a sunshiney boyfriend?  I didn’t even know that you were _gay.”_

Will tensed at the reference to himself as Nico’s boyfriend, but Nico just laughed, which eased him into relaxing again.  “Well, we weren’t exactly friends then,” Nico said, slipping his hand into Will’s.

Leo placed his hand over his heart, his jaw dropping dramatically.  “You _wound_ me, Mr. di Angelo,” he said. 

Nico laughed, promising that he only held Leo in the highest regard, and, in turn, Leo agreed to help fill him in on what had happened in the three years that Nico had missed.  At that point, the demigods launched into a detailed report of major events over the time Nico had been gone, both in the mortal world and the demigod world.  Nico had asked them to run through their explanation of the 2016 election a second time when Hazel excused herself to go get some things from the kitchen.  Will, seeing an opportunity to talk to her, offered to help.

“What’s up?” Hazel said as she opened the refrigerator and took out a platter of strawberries that were going to be dipped in a fondue pot full of chocolate. 

Will sighed.  “I told him.”

Hazel paused before she set down the platter, turning to give Will her full attention.  “Everything?”

Will nodded.  “Yeah.”

There was a short stretch of silence between them before Jason and Reyna entered the kitchen, like they had sensed that it was time for a Nico Fan Club meeting.  Honestly, Will wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case.  “Is something going on?” Reyna asked.  “You seem tense, Will.”

“He told Nico,” Hazel explained.

“Ah,” Reyna said, nodding in understanding.  “When?”

“Yesterday,” Will answered, avoiding her eyes.

Jason’s expression became stern.  “You’re _kidding_.  And it took you _two months_ to do it _why?”_

“Lay off, Jason,” Hazel snapped.  “You don’t need to make him feel worse than he already does.”

“He’s right, Hazel,” Will said, rubbing his brow.  “I should’ve told him sooner.  But it’s done now.”

“And?” Reyna prodded.  “What happened?  How did he react?”

Will shrugged.  “He was _fine,”_ he answered.  “Shocked, I guess, and he might still be trying to process it, but...he was fine.  This morning he made breakfast and he talked to me about it a little, and he told me it was okay.  I don’t...I don’t know why....” _I don’t know why I deserve this,_ Will finished in his head, unable to say the words out loud.

“Look, Will,” Hazel said.  “We all know that Nico isn’t a forgiving person.  He holds grudges.  So if he forgives you, that means that you _deserve_ to be forgiven.”

“Honestly, I didn’t think he _would_ be mad at you,” Reyna admitted.  “It seems like he is handling this better than I thought I would - I thought he’d be _sad_ or something - but I didn’t think he’d blame you.  Nico’s got a bit of a short temper, but he’s also _fair.”_

“He’s just so _good,”_ Will said, closing his eyes and thinking back to the way Nico had woken him that morning, saying that _Will_ had had a rough night.  Nico had taken care of Will all day, like  _Will_ was the one who had been hurt the most.  It was selfless and open-minded, and Will had no idea how to begin to return the kindness Nico had shown him.  “Even after what I did, he’s taking care of me.  He not only _forgives_ me, he’s going out of his way to make me feel _better._ He’s so...so....”  Will broke off, his eyes widening as his heart clenched in his chest.  “Oh, my _gods,”_ he whispered, his hand raising to cover his mouth.  “I think I’m falling in love with him.”

“Uh, _yeah,”_ Jason said, rolling his eyes.  “And this surprises you _why?”_

“I didn’t think I was there yet,” Will admitted.  He blinked, feeling his eyes burn, because he  _was_ there; after all the fretting at the beginning of this relationship, when he was trying to decide whether or not he should risk pursuing Nico when he wasn’t sure if what he felt for Nico was any more than residual feelings, he was  _there._

“Well, don’t start _crying_ about it,” Reyna said, pulling him into a one armed hug.  Will smiled when she squeezed his shoulders before letting him go.

Jason sighed.  “Look, Will.  You and Nico?  It’s going to work out.  And you know why?  It’s because _you are good enough._ I know that I’ve been a little hard on you in the past–”

“A little?” Hazel asked, shooting Jason a pointed look.

“Okay, I could be downright cruel,” Jason admitted. 

“You _did_ call me a slut,” Will mentioned, at which point Reyna slapped Jason’s arm.

“You did _what?”_ she hissed.

Jason yelped, clutching the spot where she hit him.  “It was, like, three years ago!” Jason said.  “I’ve already apologized for it.  A lot.”

Will shrugged, even if he was still a little upset by it.  “It’s okay.  I deserved it.”

 _“Will,”_ Jason sighed in exasperation, rubbing his temple.  “No, you didn’t deserve it.  _I_ was wrong.  I shouldn’t have said that to you.  I didn’t understand what you were feeling, so I made assumptions and acted like an idiot, and I’m sorry for that.  I should’ve realized that you needed _help.”_

“We all should’ve,” Hazel added. 

Jason nodded.  “So, what I was trying to tell you before was that we all know that Nico’s great.  We all know what makes him special.  But it took me a little too long to realize that you’re pretty amazing, too.  I want Nico to fall in love and be happy – and I’m really glad that the person he’s choosing is you.”  

Will smiled, glancing away when unable to bear the intensity of Jason's eyes.  Jason clapped a hand on his shoulder and seemed like he was about to add something when Will’s ears perked up at the sound of Nico’s laughter in the other room.  “Percy!  Annabeth!” he shouted.  “Cut it out!”

They filed out of the kitchen to see Percy and Annabeth forcing Nico under a patch of Leo’s _Smooch Surprise! Mobile Mistletoe,_ kissing either of his cheeks.  “Help!” Nico gasped when he saw them, struggling to wriggle free from Percy and Annabeth’s grasp.  “They won’t let me go!”

Jason laughed, strolling over.  Seeing that Jason had it handled, Will went to sit back down on the sofa and watched as Nico sighed in relief when Percy and Annabeth let him go.  Then Jason was pulling Nico in and kissing his temple, and Nico gasped, shoving Jason off and bolting away from the mistletoe, but Hazel caught him.  She dragged him back under and kissed his forehead. 

“Stop it!” Nico said, but it was hard to take him seriously when he was smiling so hard. 

“We just _missed_ you!” Piper said.  “Now, hold still, would you?”

Nico obeyed, not catching onto the fact that she was using charmspeak, and Piper tugged him under another piece of mistletoe to kiss his cheek.

“Piper!  That was a cheap trick!” Nico scowled, wiping the spot where she’d kissed him with his sleeve. 

There was a round of laughter as Reyna snuck up behind Nico and kissed his other cheek, before Hazel suggested they get to the presents.  Nico bolted out of Reyna’s embrace, climbing onto the sofa next to Will and latching onto his side, like he could trust _Will_ not to take advantage of the mistletoe.

And Will _wouldn’t_ take advantage of the mistletoe.  Not right then, anyway.  Four years ago?  Will wouldn’t have let Nico crawl out from under it. 

Will’s gift of wine was well-received from everyone; they all remembered the last time he’d brought some back after his last trip home, and they were glad for another taste.  Hazel and Frank gave Nico a recipe book, and Hazel had written a few entries in it already.  But the most memorable presents of the night were Leo’s gifts to Hazel and Nico.

“In honor of Nico becoming the third member of the Dead Demigods Club, I thought we should make the organization a bit more official,” he said as he got up, holding three little boxes.  He handed one to Hazel and another to Nico, who opened them to find gold badges with the words ‘Official Member of the Dead Demigods Club’ embossed on them.  Hazel’s also said ‘Treasurer,’ while Nico’s said ‘Historian.’

“I gave us each positions,” Leo explained.  Opening the third box, he took out his own badge.  “I’m the president.  Hazel’s the treasurer, for obvious reasons related to the fact that she can summon valuables from the ground–”

“Yeah, I get it, Leo,” Hazel said, rolling her eyes.

“And Nico’s the historian, because of the whole 1930’s thing,” Leo went on, as if Hazel hadn’t spoken up.

Nico frowned.  “Why are _you_ the president?” he asked.

Leo shrugged.  “Because I’m awesome,” he explained, as if it should be obvious.

“But _I’m_ the ghost king,” Nico protested.

“Yeah,” Leo said with a roll of his eyes.  “And that’s why you’re president of the Demigod Dork Club.”

“Leo, you are the only one of the three of us who isn’t a child of the Lord of the Underworld,” Nico pointed out.  “So I don’t understand what makes you the most qualified candidate for presidency.  You’re also the only one who wasn’t born prior to the 1950’s, so your reason for making _me_ historian is invalid.”

Leo waved a dismissive hand.  “Details.  Anyway, I thought giving you the position of historian was a great idea until Calypso pointed out what it is that a historian actually _does –_ you know, taking pictures and updating social media and whatnot.  Which, honestly, you _suck_ at.  So, to fix that problem....”  Leo held out his hand, and Calypso passed him a gift bag, which Leo handed to Nico, who took out the tissue paper and reached in to find a Celestial Bronze cell phone.  Beaming, Leo explained, “I made you a LeoPhone with the latest tech.  It comes equipped with the most recent update of the Daimon Deflector, so you won’t have to worry about attracting monsters.  You can generate your own mobile hotspot, and you’ll never run out of storage space – at least, not unless you attempt to download the entire internet, so don’t do that.  It’s also designed in a way that should be user-friendly enough for someone who missed out on three years of technological advancements.”

Nico stared at the phone in his hand for a second while Leo watched him expectantly, and then he jumped up and ran to give Leo a hug.  “Thank you,” he said.

Leo’s eyes widened in surprise before he hugged Nico back.  “No problem, buddy,” he said.  “You deserve the best that Uncle Leo has to offer.”

Much of the rest of the night, Leo helped Nico set up his phone, and showed him how to work it.  Everyone filled Nico in on which movies he had to see, music he had to listen to, and books he had to read.  Frank fetched a sheet of paper and they wrote up a list, only noting the best parts.

Percy and Annabeth left first, because Percy insisted she had to get lots of sleep for both herself and the baby.  Annabeth rolled her eyes, but smiled and went along with it.  They hugged everyone before they left, and Will overheard Annabeth whispering to Nico that she was glad to see him happy. 

The party started to break up after Percy and Annabeth left.  Will and Nico were the next to decide to head back home.  It was then that the telltale chime of sleigh bells announced the appearance of Leo’s _Smooch Surprise! Mobile Mistletoe_ overhead.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence; Will knew that everyone else was aware of the fact that things weren’t _normal_ between him and Nico.  He caught Piper’s eye to see that she was giving them both a look that clearly said that they didn’t have to, but then Nico leaned up on his toes and kissed Will’s cheek.  Will’s face warmed up, and he knew that he must have been blushing to the tips of his ears.

Nico said goodbye to the others as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, twining his fingers with Will’s before heading outside and getting into the car.  Nico turned on Christmas music as Will started the engine, and he offered Will a smile when Will started to drive them home.  They didn’t talk until they’d gotten back to the apartment, after Nico had taken Will’s hand again on the walk to the front door and Will had locked the door behind them once they were inside.

“Nico,” Will started as he took off his scarf and hung it on the peg by the door, “Back when we were leaving, with the mistletoe and the...the kiss.  We should talk about that.”

Nico nodded as he kicked off his shoes.  “Yeah.”

Will cleared his throat.  “So, when you....”

“Will,” Nico interrupted.  “I did it because I wanted to.  Was that okay?”

Will swallowed.  Nico still wanted to kiss him, even if Will had been with other people, even if Will hadn’t honored him properly.  Nico wasn’t disgusted by him – Nico wanted to _kiss_ him.  “Yes, that’s...that’s great.”

“Then, would you mind if I did it again?” Nico asked with a slight quiver in his voice.  “But properly this time?”

Will nodded.  “I’d like that,” he said softly.  He leaned forward, just enough so that Nico could reach him, and he let Nico close the gap between them.

Nico stepped forward, placing his hands on Will's forearms, and brushed his lips against Will’s gently, barely touching them before he pressed their mouths together in a chaste kiss.  Will felt more afraid, more exhilarated, and more deliriously happy than he had during their _first_ first kiss, all those years ago in the months following the Giant War.  Nico’s mouth was soft against his and he smelled like peppermint, chocolate, and Will’s shampoo.  Will felt like he could melt into the softness of Nico’s touch and his soothing scent, and he wanted to be wrapped up in Nico and never leave.

When Nico drew back, he smiled.  “That was nice,” he said, wrapping his arms around Will’s waist.

Will pressed his nose into Nico’s hair.  “Yeah,” he said.  “It was good.”

“Totally worth the wait you made me endure,” Nico teased, nuzzling into Will’s chest.  “I’ve been trying to kiss you for a while now.  You kept pushing me off and I didn’t understand why.”

“Payback for making me wait the first time,” Will muttered, referring to the several months that it took for Nico to be ready to kiss when they first started dating.

Nico giggled before pulling back – and gods, Will loved that sound.  Loved it when Nico smiled or laughed or got that glint of humor in his eye.

“Will,” Nico said, his voice suddenly softer than it had been.  “Would you – if you want – would you share the bed with me tonight?”  Will’s breath caught in slight panic, and Nico quickly continued, “Just to sleep.  I want to sleep next to you.”

Will swallowed, nodding.  “Yeah,” he said.  “Yeah.  That would be okay.”

Nico smiled.  “Okay.  Then we should get to bed.  But I...um...I have to change.”

Will cleared his throat as Nico stepped back.  “I’ll...brush my teeth,” he said, and went to the bathroom while Nico changed in the bedroom.  When Nico was done, he went into the bathroom wearing plaid pajama bottoms and a t-shirt, and Will switched places with him.

Nico tapped on the bedroom's door frame to announce his presence before he went in, watching as Will pulled back the covers on the bed.  “So...is it cool if I, like, hold onto you while we’re sleeping?” Nico asked, scratching the back of his neck.

Will bowed his head, laughing at the awkward stutter in Nico’s voice.  “Nico, nothing about us is _cool,”_ he said.  “But, yeah, if you want to, like, cuddle or whatever, I’d be down for that.”

Nico smiled, sliding into the bed as Will climbed in beside him.  He turned to face Will, pressing his cheek to Will’s chest and throwing an arm over his side.  He sighed contentedly when Will wrapped Nico in his arms, the soft breath rippling over the fabric of Will’s t-shirt.

“Hey, Will,” Nico whispered, like he was telling a secret.  “Did you know Annabeth was pregnant?”

Will chuckled, his thumb circling the cotton covering Nico’s back.  “Yeah, she called me last week to ask for some advice.”

“And you didn’t tell me?” Nico asked, his voice flat.

Will sighed.  “She specifically told me not to, and I’m sorry, Nico, but Annabeth isn’t the sort of person you disobey a direct order from.”

Nico giggled, his movement tickling Will’s chest.  “Do you know if it’s male or female?”

“Too soon to tell,” Will answered.  “I won't be able to until about seven weeks.”

Nico pressed his chin to Will’s chest, looking up at his face with his large brown eyes.  “And you’ll tell me, right?”

Will shrugged, reaching up to play with the ends of Nico’s hair.  “If Annabeth lets me.”

Nico giggled again, his arms tightening around Will.  “I’m glad, though.  They’ll be such great parents.  I’ve thought so for a while – even, you know, before.  They took care of me, after Gaea.”

Will hummed in agreement, stroking his hair slowly.

“And I’m glad I’ll be there for it,” Nico whispered.  “I don’t want to miss anything.”

“Then don’t leave me again,” Will said before he could stop himself.

Nico smiled.  “I wasn’t planning on it,” he said, reaching up to kiss Will’s jaw.  Will shivered before he returned the kiss with one to Nico’s forehead.

“Go to sleep,” Will said, his fingers combing through Nico’s hair as Nico settled back onto his chest.  “You don’t want to be awake when Santa comes.”

Nico snorted tiredly.  “Shut up, Will,” he muttered.

 

Will woke up before Nico the next morning.  He rested in bed with Nico in his arms, staring at the soft lines of his sleeping face. 

Nico stirred after maybe a half hour, grunting as he snuggled in closer to Will’s chest. 

“You’re warm,” he whispered. 

“Your feet are cold,” Will answered as Nico’s toes trailed up his leg.

Nico giggled tiredly, curling his toes and pulling his feet away.  “Sorry,” he said.  “You always used to complain about that.”  He pulled himself up to look into Will’s face.  “Merry Christmas.”

Will grinned.  “Merry Christmas, Nico.”

Nico pulled himself closer before – “Can I kiss you?” he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Will swallowed, nodding, and Nico leaned forward to kiss him gently.  After a brief touch of lips, Nico pulled away with a frown.  “You need to brush your teeth,” he said.

Will laughed.  “Way to ruin the mood, Nico,” he said, forcing himself to sit up so he could make his way to the bathroom.

Nico grunted and threw a pillow at him as he was leaving.  “Your breath did that first!” he called.

Will tossed the pillow back before leaving to go to the bathroom and brushing his teeth.  He was rinsing when Nico came in after him, now wearing a pair of socks and – to Will’s surprise – a purple New Rome University hoodie that was a little bit too big on him.

“Is...is that mine?” he asked.

Nico tugged at the edge of the hoodie.  “Yeah,” he answered.  “Is that okay?”

Will cleared his throat.  “Yeah.  Yeah, it’s fine.  It, uh, looks good on you.  Like, you look good in purple.  It looks nice with your hair.”  Swallowing, he hastily added, “I mean, I think everything looks nice with your hair, but–”

Nico giggled before pulling Will in for a kiss, whispering that he thought Will’s hair was pretty, too.

They stayed in their pajamas the whole day, playing video games and decorating the Christmas cookies that were still left when they weren’t working on dinner.  Nico had to teach Will how to cut a tomato properly, accusing Will of holding the knife like a scalpel (“I told you to _dice_ it, not _dissect_ it!”). 

When the food was finished that evening, they didn’t bother with plates and chairs; instead they stood together in the kitchen with the lights off, the air smelling faintly of sugar cookies from the scented Christmas candles they had lit, and fed each other the appetizers they’d made, giggling when they made messes on each other’s faces.  Will made hot cocoa when they were done eating, and they lounged together on the sofa to drink it; Will sat in the middle, and Nico leaned against the arm of the sofa with his legs over Will’s lap. 

“It’s getting late,” Will commented, his fingers tracing up Nico’s calf.  “And you still haven’t told me what you want for Christmas.”

Nico nodded and placed his mug on the coffee table before reaching for Will’s and setting it beside his own.  Wrapping his arms around Will’s neck, he leaned in to Will’s side comfortably.  “I want you to sing for me,” Nico said. 

“For Christmas?” Will asked, frowning in puzzlement

Nico nodded.  “I mean, you wanted dinner.  Is it so weird to want a song?”

Will swallowed.  He knew his voice wasn’t _bad,_ but he’d always been insecure about it.  Compared to his brothers and sisters, he wasn’t anything special.  He didn’t sing solo very often, _especially_ not in front of other people.

But he used to sing for Nico.

It hadn’t taken much time for him to trust Nico enough to sing in front of him.  In fact, it only took until Nico’s first night in the infirmary after the battle with Gaea, when Nico had woken up from a nightmare.  Will had sat beside him on the bed, arms wrapped around Nico’s shaking body, as he sang a soft, soothing lullaby to lull Nico into a dreamless sleep.

Will used to sing for Nico during his too-frequent panic attacks, and when those had started to subside, he sang to Nico in bed when they woke up on lazy mornings, arms and legs tangled together and their hair messy from sleep.  He’d sing loudly in the shower just to irritate Nico – and because he knew Nico secretly liked it.

Will pressed his lips to Nico’s forehead before he started to sing – the same lullaby that he used to sing for Nico when he woke up from his nightmares.  He sang it because it was the one Nico used to ask for, on quiet nights like these when they closed themselves from the rest of the world; instead focusing on each other and the way that their hearts beat together.

Nico curled his fingers into the fabric of Will’s t-shirt, leaning into Will’s shoulder and closing his eyes.  He fell asleep in Will’s arms to the sound of his voice, and when Will finished singing, he carried Nico to bed, kissed his forehead, and snuggled in behind him.  “Sweet dreams, Nico,” he whispered.  “I love you.”

And even if Nico didn’t hear him, it felt so good to say it – because Will knew in his heart that he was in love with Nico di Angelo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~Hi there! Originally, this fic was going to be four chapters and an epilogue, but then I finished the fic and I reread it and felt like the epilogue wasn't necessary. So, the next chapter will be the last installment.~~   
>  ~~I actually finished this _way_ faster than I thought I would. So just give me some time to edit and whatnot, and I'll post the final chapter this coming week!~~
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> Haha, JK guys! There will be six chapters.
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> Fasten your seat belts, everybody. The rating's about to go up.


	4. Chapter 4

“It’s so hot when you speak in Italian,” Will said, his chin resting on his hands after Nico asked their waiter for the check in his native tongue. 

Nico smirked, lifting his glass of wine to his lips.  They’d driven to Berkley to go to a nice Italian restaurant; Will had started receiving acceptance letters from the med schools two weeks back and Nico was taking him out to dinner as congratulations.  Will had nearly swooned earlier that evening when Nico ordered their food in Italian, having only a faint idea of what Nico had said from the bits of Latin that he knew and the Italian that Nico had begun teaching him several years before. 

It was April, and Will had spent the past few months in near bliss.  He’d already completed the most difficult classes required of premed students, so Will’s final semester in undergrad was fairly relaxing.  He’d been able to spend more time with Nico, learning each other all over again, and Will found himself falling more in love with Nico every day.  He hadn’t told Nico that he loved him yet. He was ready to say it - he was just waiting for the right time.

“You figured out why I chose this restaurant, then,” Nico said, in answer to Will’s statement about how hot his Italian was.  “It was for your benefit.”

Will rolled his eyes.  “You just like showing off for me.”

Nico hummed.  “I’m not denying it.”  He set his hand on the table and Will took the hint, moving his hand to lace his fingers through Nico’s.  “Congratulations on your acceptances, Will,” Nico said.  “I’m really proud of you.”

Will smiled, but the thought of leaving for med school was still an awkward topic between them.  What would happen to  _them_ when Will left?  Will didn’t want to tear Nico away from New Rome – Nico was so happy there.  He was surrounded by people who loved him; he’d formed a good support group.  If Will took Nico someplace far away, he’d lose that; sure he could call his friends, but Will knew that Nico needed to be physically near people in order to keep healing. 

They hadn’t spoken about that very much; only in short conversations filled with the words “what if” and “maybe someday.”  Will knew that they had to talk about it properly.  He’d intended to have that conversation tonight. 

Will cleared his throat after the waiter came back with the check, which Nico took care of before Will could protest.  “Want to walk through the city for a little while before we head back?” Nico asked Will after he’d finished paying. 

“Yeah,” Will said, rising to his feet.  It was Friday; he didn’t have to worry about classes tomorrow.  Nico took his hand and led him outside, passing the parking lot where they’d left Will’s car to walk down the lamp-lit streets of Berkley.  “Thanks for tonight,” Will said.

Nico leaned into his shoulder.  “You’re welcome,” he answered. 

“I...um...I was thinking we should talk,” Will said nervously.  “About, you know, what we’re going to do next year.”

“You mean, with you going to med school?” Nico asked, looking up at Will.

Will nodded.  “Yeah.  So, I was just thinking we should tell each other what we want and everything.”

“Well, I want to stay with you,” Nico said easily, as if that were the simplest thing in the world.

“As in, stay with me in a relationship, or stay with me as in being in the same geographic location?”

“Both, ideally,” Nico said.  “But there are other things I need to sort out.”  Chewing on his lip, he went on, “I don’t know what _I_ want to do in the future, and I mean that in a way that has nothing to do with _us._ I have a whole _life_ that I’m trying to figure out.  I _do_ like New Rome.  I like being near Hazel and Reyna and Frank all the time, and I like that everyone else comes to visit so often.  That’ll be tough to leave behind.”

There was something odd in Nico’s voice when he said that, like he was hesitating.  “But?” Will urged, sensing that there was more.

“I...I’m not sure if New Rome is where I want to _stay,”_ he admitted.  “I love being there right now, and I know that it’s good for my healing.  It’s scary to think of leaving – what if I need so see Hazel or Reyna or Jason, but I’m far away?  I _know_ that the whole healing process is going to take more time and I know being near all of them helps.  But I think I want to move on.  Maybe move on with you.”

“I’d love that,” Will said.  “But I know that New Rome is good for you.  I don’t want to take you from that – I think you could still use the support.  So I’m thinking that maybe I should choose a school that’s not too far away, that way we can visit New Rome when we have free time.”

“I can’t ask you to do that,” Nico said quickly.  “I don’t want you to make this decision based on what’s convenient for me.”

“Nico, of  _course_ I’m going to take you into consideration,” Will protested.  “You’re a part of my future, too.  I know that being near people you love is helping you heal, and I know that it would be good for  _us_ to be as close as possible.  So, if you want to come with me, we can move in together, if it’s not too soon for that, or we can live close to each other, so that we can visit on weekends.  Nico, I....”  Will took a deep breath and stopped walking, instead turning to face Nico and taking hold of both of his hands.  He knew it was time to tell Nico how he felt - past time, honestly.  He felt nervous, but not afraid.  Will was well aware of the fact that Nico felt the same way he did.

“I love you, Nico.  I’m  _in love_ with you.  And I want what’s best for you, and what’s best for us.  So I’m  _not_ going to make this decision without thinking about you.”

Nico stared at him blankly for a second, before throwing his arms around Will’s neck and hugging him.  “I love you, too,” he whispered.  “Oh, gods, I love you.”

Will pulled back and kissed Nico, holding his cheeks and brushing his thumbs past the corners of Nico’s eyes.  “I’ve been in love with you since you made me pancakes on Christmas Eve,” Will admitted.  “I’ve just been waiting for the right time to tell you.”

“Well, it took you long enough!” Nico scolded with a laugh.  “I’ve been waiting for months!”

Will rolled his eyes.  “You could’ve told me first,” he pointed out.  But he was glad Nico had waited – he was glad that Nico didn’t say it until Will _knew_ he was ready to tell Nico, until Will was so far in love that he couldn’t remember a time when he  _wasn’t._

“Will you come home with me?” Will asked, pressing his forehead against Nico’s.  “Do you want to stay over?”

Nico nodded, pressing another kiss to Will’s lips before they started to head back towards where Will’s car was parked. 

Nico had returned to live with Hazel and Frank after winter break, but he went to visit Will frequently and stayed over most weekends.  Will had given Nico a spare key back in February, so it wasn’t uncommon for Will to get home from class to Nico lounging on his couch, reading a book, or from a late shift at the infirmary to find Nico sleeping in his bed, waiting for him to come home.

Nico connected his LeoPhone to the sound system in Will’s car to play music on the way home, and Will sang along with him the whole drive, Nico joining in on his favorite parts.  When Will parked in front of his apartment, Nico promptly leaned over to kiss him before he’d even finished unbuckling his seatbelt, knotting his fingers in Will’s hair.  Will clutched his wrist, kissing him back until Nico pulled away, saying that they should get inside – but the moment they got into Will’s apartment, Nico was on him again, pressing him up against the closed front door.

“Nico,” Will sighed, opening his mouth to invite Nico in.  He felt like his body was liquid when Nico touched him.

“I love you,” Nico whispered.  “I love you.”

Will threw his head back when Nico’s mouth trailed down his jaw, groaning in pleasure at the warmth of Nico’s lips tickling his skin.  And it felt good, but it also scared him because it didn’t seem like Nico intended to stop anytime soon.  Will wasn’t sure if that was what Nico wanted; they hadn’t talked much about sex yet.  Despite the passing of several months, all that he and Nico had done was kiss and sleep side-by-side.  Sure, they’d had several heated moments and make-out sessions, but never anything farther than that.

“N-Nico, wait,” Will managed, forcing himself to think rather than fall into the haze of desire.  “We should....”

Nico pulled back, his cheeks pink and his eyes dark.  That look was almost enough to make Will give in.

“Sorry,” Nico murmured.  “I got carried away.”

“S’okay,” Will slurred.  “But we should talk about it.”

Nico nodded, pressing back into Will’s side.  “Do you need to wait longer?” Nico asked.

Will swallowed – because from the way Nico phrased the question, it sounded like Nico  _didn’t_ need to wait.  And Will hadn’t realized Nico was there yet.  He hadn’t realized that they’d reached that point in their relationship yet.  And, honestly, that _terrified_ him. “You’re ready?” he asked quietly.

“Yes,” Nico said.

“And you’re okay with it even though I....” Will trailed off. 

Nico frowned, pulling back to look Will in the eye.  “Will, that wasn’t...you weren’t  _cheating_ on me.” 

Will shrugged, averting his gaze.  “Maybe not, but I wasn’t exactly the model for moral decision making, either.  I was careless and selfish.  And, even if I wasn’t cheating, you still might _feel_ like I was.  Nico, I don’t want there to be any bad blood between us.” 

Nico shook his head.  _“You’re_  the one who hasn’t forgiven yourself.  Look, are you sure you’re ready?  Because if we need to wait a little longer, that’s okay.” 

“I want to,” Will said quickly, because he did.  He wanted to be ready.  And Nico...well, Nico was the love of his life, and he touched Will in ways that made his heart sing, and he was absolutely gorgeous.  Will _wanted_ to be ready to take the next step.

“That wasn’t the question,” Nico reminded him, his tone stern.  “Look, Will,  _I’m_ ready, but I don’t want to have sex until  _you’re_ ready.  I don’t want you to be thinking about anything else while we’re together.  I just want it to be you and me, and I want you to forget what happened before.”

“Nico, I-I wouldn’t think about anyone else,” Will said, appalled that Nico would think he would be.  “I don’t  _want_ anyone else.  I want  _you._  I am one hundred percent invested in this.” 

Nico sighed with a shake of his head.  “That wasn’t what I meant.  What I’m trying to say is I don’t want you to be preoccupied with guilt the whole time.  I want everything else  _gone._  I don’t think you can be happy until you stop feeling guilty about the past and start focusing on what’s going on right  _now._ It’s not just about being invested.  I think that when I showed up, I brought back all kinds of memories about what happened when I was gone.  And that’s  _okay,_ Will.  It just means that I got to this point a little bit before you, and now I’m going to  _wait_ because I  _love_ you and I want to do this the right way.”

Will sighed, rubbing his temple.  “I don’t know, Nico.  Maybe you’re right.  Maybe it would be better to wait.  I’m still not quite ready.”

“Okay,” Nico said, raising Will’s fingers to his lips.  “Will, I want to do what I can to help you – to help  _us –_  whether that’s by making love or by waiting to make love.”  He kissed Will’s hand again before looking up at him.  “Do you want me to go for tonight?”

Will shook his head.  “I never want you to go,” he whispered.  “Just no more making out.”

“Agreed,” Nico said.  He tugged on Will’s hand.  “Let’s get to sleep.”

* * *

Two weeks after his jaunt to Berkley with Will, Nico was abruptly pulled from his thoughts when Reyna shoved his shoulder to get his attenion.

Nico hadn’t been focusing; he’d zoned out at the senate meeting, unable to pay attention to the proceedings.  He’d been called upon to serve as ambassador to Pluto a few times since the beginning of the year, but had been surprised by his lack of excitement when he was contacted.  He’d tried drudging up that old passion he used to have when he did his father’s work or served the demigod world, but to no avail.

He just didn’t feel the same enthusiasm for it anymore.  Sure, if there were yet another war, Nico was sure he’d jump in to help his demigod friends, but he wasn’t _happy_ to have it be a part of his daily life. 

And that scared him.  Three and a half years ago, he loved being involved in that world.  He’d wanted to be a part of it forever; he’d planned to serve his father and both camps for the rest of his life.  He’d even _died_ for that cause.  But now?

Nico felt _anxious._ He felt _unhappy._

Shaking his head, Nico looked up at Reyna.  “Sorry, what?”

Reyna frowned, but she looked more concerned than disapproving.  “The meeting is over,” she explained, which made Nico look around the senate room to find the demigods and ghosts filing out.  “Were you even paying attention?”

“I participated, didn’t I?” Nico said, getting to his feet and smoothing out his dark toga.  “I just started zoning out towards the end.”

“Luckily for you, nothing really important happened,” Reyna said, nudging him towards the exit. 

Nico sighed, running his hand through his hair.  He used to feel so  _important_ going to these senate meetings, like he was contributing to something that really mattered; but recently, they felt like a chore.  He used to want to stay in New Rome or near Camp Halfblood his whole life, to stay connected with the world of demigods and to never stop adventuring.  But now....

Now, he wasn’t so sure.  And that scared him.

“Nico?” Reyna asked, pulling Nico from his thoughts.  “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Nico said.  “Just thinking.”

Reyna looked him over before checking her watch.  “I’ve got some time before my next duty calls,” she said.  “Care to share?”

“Just...I don’t know,” Nico muttered as they stepped outside.  “It’s dumb.  Probably just a phase.”

Reyna raised one eyebrow.  “So are you going to mope about it or tell me?”

Nico couldn’t help but grin.  He’d always liked the way Reyna approached problems head on.  “It’s just that I don’t....”  Nico paused, gesturing back to the senate building.  “All this.  It isn’t....”

“It’s not what it was before?” Reyna asked.

“Not because  _it’s_  changed,” Nico said, his hands falling to his sides.  “It’s not the same as it used to be to  _me_.”

Reyna nodded silently, scuffing the toe of her shoe on the pavement.  “You don’t feel as passionate about it.”

Nico sighed, tipping his head back and closing his eyes, the light of the afternoon sun seeping through his eyelids.  “I don’t know why.  I used to love this, but....”

“I think you  _do_  know why,” Reyna cut in.  “I think you just won’t say it.  But you should.”

And there it was again – that direct manner of problem solving that Nico admired in Reyna.  She was right – Nico did know why, but he was afraid to say it out loud.  If he did, it would make it all too real; he  _didn’t_  love what he loved before, and he didn’t know what to do about it.  The three years he’d spent in the Underworld had left him with a bad taste in his mouth; he wasn’t sure that he’d  _ever_ love his work in the demigod world again.  While that life would always be important to him and he would never leave it behind completely, he didn’t want to be consumed by it.  Not the way he used to.

“Maybe you’re right,” Nico whispered.  “And...maybe even though he let me go, even though he listened to my plea.... ” Nico swallowed.  He didn’t say Hades’ name, both because names were too powerful and because saying his father’s name was too hard.  He knew Reyna would understand.  “Maybe I still feel some resentment towards him.”

Reyna shook her head with a roll of her eyes.  “Yeah, every demigod feels that way about their immortal parent,” she pointed out.  “Nico, sure he granted you a favor, but you also paid a big price for it.  I’m not too pleased with him, either.”

“It was fair,” Nico protested.

“Maybe so.  But you’re human.  You’re allowed to feel upset, Nico.”

Nico cleared his throat, pulling at the fabric of his toga.  “And maybe I don’t feel the same way I used to about this kind of life.  I don’t want to disappoint you,” he added.  “I don’t want to let you down, because I know I have duties here–”

“Nico, no,” Reyna cut in.  “If this isn’t the right path for you, don’t take it.  We’ll manage.  I know we always push for people to do their duties; I know that’s the Roman way to live.  But, truthfully, maybe this  _isn’t_ your duty.  Maybe you have a different purpose in this second life you’ve been given.  That’s okay, Nico.  It’s okay to realize you don’t love what you used to – your passions are allowed to change.  Do you have any clue what it might be now?”

Nico shrugged.  He didn’t know – he’d always assumed he’d remain in the demigod world his whole life.  He’d wanted to be the ambassador to Pluto forever.  But now?  He wanted to stay as far away from the Underworld as possible and he wasn’t so sure that he wanted to see his father any time soon.  “I don’t know, Reyna.  I still haven’t finished my bachelor’s degree.  I don’t even know what I’d want to study if I went back to school.  And Will’s going to med school, so he has to decide on a program, and I want to go with him, but I’m scared to leave, and I don’t want to be useless while he’s a successful doctor.  I want to  _do_  something, I just don’t know what.”

“Okay, then that’s a  _start,”_ Reyna said, squeezing his shoulder comfortingly.  “So, let’s think about this.  What do you like doing?”

“I don’t know.  I-I like cooking,” Nico admitted.

“Then have you thought about culinary school?” Reyna asked.

Nico shook his head.  “Maybe.  I’ve never thought about it before.”

“Then try imagining it.”  Reyna stopped walking, instead turning to face Nico.  “Come on, close your eyes and think about it.”

Nico scowled.  “Seriously?” he asked.

“Yes, seriously!” Reyna insisted.  “Close your eyes!”

Nico huffed, but complied.  “I feel stupid,” he muttered. 

“Stop complaining,” Reyna snapped.  “I’m trying to  _help._ Now, imagine your future – it’s five years from now.  You’re living with Will, he’s finishing up school and is going to start his residency.  You’re engaged.  And you have a dog.  And he makes you coffee every morning and Saturday night is date night and–”

“Reyna!” Nico interrupted sharply, fighting back a blush.  “Get to the point!”

“Okay, fine,” she said, and Nico could  _hear_  her smiling.  “I’m just trying to paint the picture.  You also work as a sous-chef in an upscale Italian restaurant.  Or maybe you own a bakery.  You get top reviews by food critics and–”

“There’s  _no_ way I’d accomplish that in five years,” Nico said, smirking. 

“But  _imagine_ it,” Reyna insisted.  “And how does that  _feel?”_

Nico sighed through his nose, picturing what Reyna had suggested.  He thought about what it would be like to go to work every day and cook, to have a bunch of chefs working around him and hurrying to obey the orders he barked at them –  _that_ made him a little too pleased – or to design a menu, to experiment with new ingredients and figure out different formulas that worked to make something  _amazing._

He couldn’t help imagining the other piece of what Reyna had said; the part where he lived with Will.  Maybe a dog; if they could find one that didn’t hate Nico like all other animals seemed to.  Will would wake him with a kiss every morning, and they’d lay in bed together for hours when they didn’t have to get up right away.  He’d make Will lunch every day, and he’d have food ready for him when he came home from labs late at night.  And Will would listen to Nico ranting about a problematic critic or an annoying customer, and he’d sample all of Nico’s new recipes and give him feedback.

“It feels kind of good,” Nico admitted when he opened his eyes.  “I’ll...I’ll think about it.” 

“See?” Reyna said, clapping his arm.  “Not so hard.  You just have to start looking around for new things to try, and you’ll find something you love.  There will be some things that you used to love – like Will – that you still love now.  Other things – like senate meetings – you won’t be as passionate about anymore.  You’ve just got to relearn yourself.  We all have to do that as we grow.”

 

“I decided on San Francisco,” Will said later that night, when Nico came over to make paninis with him.  “So, if you want to stay in New Rome, we can see each other fairly often.  Or, if you want to come with me – which I’d love, by the way, but I wouldn’t pressure you into it – then we wouldn’t be too far, so we could come back every now and then, or everyone could come visit us.”

Nico paused in buttering the ciabatta.  “You’re  _sure_ about San Francisco?” he asked, before he could respond to the part about moving in.  “Not any of the other programs?  You liked the one in Washington.”

“Nico, can you  _imagine_ me in Washington?” Will asked, making a face.  “I don’t think I could stand the weather for that many years.  Too cold.  San Francisco's the way to go.”

“But the program–” Nico protested.

“All the programs I’ve considered are good programs,” Will said seriously.  “I could be happy with any one of them.  And yes, I’m very excited about the one in San Francisco.  It was one of my top choices to begin with.”  He paused to peer at the panini he was cooking on the stove.  “Should I turn it over?” he asked.

“Switch with me,” Nico said, moving to take care of the stove while Will started putting the second sandwich together.  Will touched Nico’s waist as he passed him, and Nico had to repress a shiver at the touch.  He reminded himself that only two weeks had passed since Will had decided that he wasn’t ready for sex, and that the touch probably wasn’t meant to be sensual.  He cleared his throat, using a spatula to flip the panini before setting down a second skillet on top to press the sandwich. 

“Anyway,” Will went on, “there are a number of programs that would be great, but only one that’s so close to New Rome.  This is the one that I feel like is the most compatible with my life – and my life includes you.  So I’ll be replying to them soon to let them know what I’ve decided, and we should talk about what  _we’re_ doing next – like, do you want to stay in New Rome, or do you want to come to San Francisco, and if you do, do you want separate apartments or do you want to share, and....”

“I want to come with you,” Nico interrupted, sliding the panini onto a plate. 

Will looked at him in surprise.  “For sure?” he asked as Nico reached over to grab the second sandwich and put it on the stove. 

“Will, we’ve been talking about this since March,” Nico pointed out.  “Yes, it’ll be a change.  Yes, we’ve only been together for about six months.  But we’ve lived together  _before,_ _a_ nd we technically dated for five years – even if we did miss out on three more.  And anyway, if we get separate apartments we’ll just spend all our time at one of them, so I don’t really see the point of two.  We both know you’ll be busy, so our time at home may be the only time we get to spend together.  Besides, living on our own will give  _me_ the chance to grow, to figure out what I want to do with my life, because I’m not going to be your househusband.”

“No way,” Will said, shaking his head.  “You have too much energy for that.  You’d get stir crazy.  So, what  _do_ you want?”

Nico shrugged.  “Reyna brought up culinary school,” he admitted.  “Maybe I’ll think about it some more.”

“Really?” Will asked, leaning his elbow on the counter.  He broke into a smile.  “Nico, that’s great!” he said.  “I can  _totally_ see you being a little restaurant chef with the outfit and the hat.  You could be like Gordon Ramsey and cuss everyone out.  You’d be _so_ good at that.  You already do it with me.”  Will screwed up his face and imitated Nico in falsetto.   _“‘Godsfuckingdammit, Will!  This meat is so tough, it could’ve looked Medusa in the eye before it died!’”_

Nico laughed, almost dropping the panini when he flipped it.

“It’s funny to think that you’ve become such a good cook, though,” Will said, looking contemplative.  “Remember how much McDonald’s you used to eat?”

“My palate has matured since then,” Nico scowled.

“Oh!  Oh!” Will went on, clapping his hands once in excitement as if Nico hadn’t spoken up.  “You could be a food critic!  You could review restaurants and tell the chefs how shitty they are – oh gods, you would cuss out the chefs of Italian restaurants in Italian; that would be hot and hilarious at the same time.” 

“Food critic, huh?” Nico said, giving it a thought.  “That sounds fun, too.  I hadn’t considered that.”

“And you’d get  _paid_ to  _eat,_ Nico.   _Paid_  to go to fancy restaurants!”  Will gasped.  “Oh my gods, we’ll have the best date nights ever.  You’ll take me with you to restaurants when you review them, right?”

“Will, I literally have no idea what a food critic actually does,” Nico pointed out, plating the second panini and handing it to Will.  “But I wouldn’t mind looking into it.”

Will took a bite of his panini, gesturing to his laptop.  “Then look it up,” he said, and when Nico started to go over to his laptop, he added, _“After_ you eat and wash your hands.  I don’t want your grimy little fingers touching my keyboard.”

“Grimy little fingers, huh?” Nico said, raising his eyebrow.  He raised his thumb to his mouth and licked up his knuckles before pushing the digit between his lips, slowly sucking up the taste of butter and herbs from his fingers while he kept his eyes locked on Will’s. 

Will’s posture went rigid, his face burning red. 

Nico smiled apologetically at Will’s reaction.  “Sorry,” he said, popping his thumb out of his mouth.  He hadn’t meant to make Will uncomfortable – at least, not in a _bad_ way.  He supposed Will wasn’t ready for joking around in that dirty sort of way yet; Nico would have to slow down a bit, make sure Will was okay with the pace–

But Will abruptly stepped into Nico’s space and kissed him, licking into his mouth and gathering the flavor off his tongue.  Nico made a sound in surprise, one hand still awkwardly holding his panini.  Will pressed up against him firmly, sucked at Nico’s bottom lip, and gave him a few more deep kisses.  Nico hadn’t even thought of how to respond when Will was pulling back, giving Nico a chance to catch his breath. 

“It’s okay,” Will said.  “It’s...um...you’re, like, really sexy, Nico.  I’m not totally ready yet, but I’m getting there.”

“Am I rushing it?” Nico asked nervously.  “Because there’s really no pressure, I just–”

“No, don’t worry,” Will said.  “I’d tell you if I felt uncomfortable.  I’m not, you know, totally terrified like I was when we talked before.  I’ve been thinking a lot about it.  I might not be ready for the actual act yet, but I’m definitely not opposed to some flirting.”

Nico chuckled and agreed, giving Will a quick kiss before turning back to his food.  When they finished eating, Nico sat at the table in front of Will’s laptop, Will at his shoulder, and they looked up jobs in the culinary field, like food journalism and marketing, in addition to jobs that took place in the kitchen.  Will stayed with him until he had to run to the infirmary for his shift, but left his laptop with Nico, saying that he was free to keep using it.

Nico smiled and waved him off before turning back to the computer screen, feeling excited about the future for the first time in quite a while. 

* * *

Will graduated with highest honors towards the end of May.  The seven and company all made sure to attend, as did Will’s mother, who took time out of the tour she was on with her band to fly to California.  It was the first time she and Nico had met in person since Nico’s return in October; although Nico had Iris Messaged her with Will, she still ran to him and hugged him and kissed his cheeks, saying that she almost didn’t believe it before then.  She’d made sure Nico had her phone number before she left town, telling him to call if he ever needed anything, and thanked him for taking care of her son. 

Nico and Will traveled to San Francisco a week after graduation to search for apartments in the city.  They were making a trip out of it; they’d set aside a few days for real estate, but had plans to explore San Francisco together during their week-long trip.  Nico was doing it as a graduation present for Will; they’d have some time to themselves to explore the area they’d be living in together, before the pressures of med school started.

“Okay, this one looks good,” Nico said, thumbing through his LeoPhone to look at a culinary school program.  “And it’s not too far from your school.”

“’Kay,” Will said, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited for the traffic to start moving on the road to San Francisco.  Nico had offered to split the drive between the two of them, but Will had said no, reminding Nico that he  _still_ hadn’t taken his driver’s test and, as he had  _died,_ his previous license was no longer of any legal use.  “So, how does the application process work?” he asked.  “I know nothing about culinary school.  Is it like college?”

“I don’t know,” Nico admitted.  “How do you think reviewers will take it when they see that I never finished my college education?  You don’t need a bachelor’s to apply, but it might look weird to see that I dropped out three years ago and haven’t done anything since then.”

“New Rome can fix that,” Will assured.  “We’ll have medical documents explaining that you were incapacitated.”

Nico raised an eyebrow.  “Isn’t that fraudulent?” he teased.  “You don’t even have your MD, and you’re already committing crimes.”

Will rolled his eyes.  “Yeah, in most cases that would be wrong.  But you’ve got to look at the big picture.  Demigods go through all kinds of shit, and sometimes, we have to sort of translate things into terms that regular mortals can understand.  Like, for example, you being in the hospital for three years with a life-threatening illness.” 

“Makes sense,” Nico said.  “Sort of like the Mist.”  Scrolling through his phone, he bit his lips before asking, “Do food critics go to culinary school?” 

“You’re asking the wrong guy if you want to know anything about food,” Will said.  “All I know is that I like  _eating;_ don’t ask me for more.  Remember how you yelled at me for making popcorn the other day?”

“Because you burned it!” Nico said, gesturing angrily.  “Just like you somehow managed to  _burn_ macaroni and cheese.  I  _told_ you to wait for me to come over so I could feed you!”

“I was really hungry!” Will said.  “And I figured that boxed macaroni and cheese was an easy meal.”

“It  _is_ an easy meal,” Nico insisted.  “Will, you boil the water.  You put the noodles in the boiling water.  You wait for the noodles to cook.  Then you add butter and milk and that disgusting little cheese packet.  Or, you know, you could wait  _ten minutes_ for me to get there and make you macaroni and cheese that doesn’t taste like complete shit!”

“But the noodles were shaped like Disney characters!”

“Are you fucking serious, Will?” Nico snapped.  “Do you need me to cut the crust off your sandwiches, too?”

Will shrugged.  “I mean, I wouldn’t  _complain._ Have I ever told you that your accent gets a lot stronger when you get mad at me?”

“Yes, you have.”  Nico slumped into his seat, folding his arms glumly.  “Yours comes out when you flirt.”

Will grinned.  “You like it.”

“You like when I get  _mad_  at you.”

Chuckling, Will flicked on his turn signal to change lanes.  “Yup.  Why do you think I do so many things to piss you off?”

Nico eyed him.  “You’re lucky I love you,” he muttered.

“Very lucky,” Will agreed.

* * *

“How are we  _still_ going uphill?” Nico huffed, trudging along the hiking trail beside Will.  He felt like his clothes were soaked through from sweat and the humidity, and his hair was plastered to his forehead.  He had to keep brushing it back with his hands. 

Will shrugged, glancing around them as if he’d be able to find a clue through the thick redwood forest.  Fortunately, Will didn’t look to be in much better shape than Nico was.  “Beats me,” he said.  “This was supposed to be a forty-five minute hike, an hour at most.  It’s now....”  He glanced at his watch.  “It’s been three hours.  And we’re still going uphill.  I’m pretty sure this is physically impossible.”

“We must’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere,” Nico said, pausing to take a drink from his water bottle.  “Wait, did you say three hours?”

“Uh, yeah,” Will said, looking at his watch again.  “It’s 4:30.”

Nico groaned.  “There’s no way we’re going to make it back in time for the 6 o’clock Alcatraz tour,” he said. 

Will cursed.  Nico knew that Will had been so excited to take him on a night tour of Alcatraz.  They’d saved it for tonight, the last day of their trip, saying that it would be the grand finale.  Nico had been eager to see if there were actual ghosts there, wondering if he’d find Al Capone.  “I’m sorry, Nico.  I know you really wanted to go.”

Nico shrugged.  “It’s okay,” he assured.  “We’ll go some other time – after all, we’ll be here for the next several years.”  Putting his hands on his hips and looking around, he added, “Getting lost in Muir Woods?  That’s a once in a lifetime experience.”

“I say we get ice cream when we finally get out,” Will suggested.  “A huge sundae from Ghirardelli square.  With strawberries and lots of chocolate.”

“Mm, strawberries,” Nico said, taking Will’s hand as they kept walking down the path.  They used to have strawberry-picking dates in Camp Halfblood and the two of them developed a taste for the fruit.  “And maybe a stroll around the city before we head back to the hotel and go to bed?”

Will bent down to kiss Nico’s cheek.  “You bet,” he answered. 

They’d only walked about five more minutes when their path was blocked by a fallen tree on a steep edge.  The barrier lasted for at least twenty feet, and the hillside was too steep for them to easily walk around it, especially with the ground as wet as it was. 

“You down to climb over?” Will asked.

“It’s not like we haven’t done worse,” Nico said, releasing Will’s hand to climb over the fallen logs and navigate through the mess of branches.  “Playing capture the flag trained us well!”

He looked back to see Will smiling.  “We should go camping, when we get free time,” Will suggested.  “I mean, I know we screwed up this hike, but it’s kind of fun.”

“Yeah,” Nico agreed, stepping over a thick branch.  “And, if the weather isn’t too bad, maybe we can sleep outside, you know, looking at the stars.”

“Careful – you don’t want anyone catching onto the fact that you’re secretly a romantic, do you?” Will teased.

Nico laughed as he stepped back onto the clear path before turning back to take Will’s hands and help him over the last pile of branches.  “Just you,” he said.  “I think I hear a road up ahead.  If worst comes to worst, we can follow it back to where we parked.”

Will nodded, falling into step beside Nico.  He took a drink from his water bottle before offering it to Nico, who accepted it and swallowed a mouthful before passing it back.  After a moment, Will pointed to the side.  “I think I see a picnic table over there.”

“Thank  _gods,”_ Nico said, following Will’s gesture to see a few picnic tables.  “How do we get there?”  He looked down the path, which seemed to bend in the opposite direction.

“I don’t know,” Will admitted.  “Maybe if we keep going–”

“Nope!” Nico said, stepping off the path and climbing up towards the picnic tables.

 _“Nico!”_ Will called.  “This is a national park!  You aren’t supposed to leave the path!”

“Don’t care,” Nico shot back.  “Come on; there’s an information cabin!”

At that, Will climbed up after them.  After speaking with a guide, they discovered that they’d managed to find their way to the  _opposite_ side from where they’d started, and they groaned when she gave them a map and highlighted the shortest path back to where they’d started. 

“Want to shadowtravel?” Will asked once they were hidden in the trees again. 

He and Nico exchanged a look.

“Nah,” they said at the same time, and they reached for each other’s hands, starting down the path back to the entrance of the park.

 

“Oh, man, that looks  _amazing,”_ Will said when the sundae was placed in between them.  He glanced up at Nico.  “On three?”

Nico nodded, poising his spoon.  “One.  Two.   _Three.”_

On three, they both dug their spoons into the sundae they were sharing, sighing in pleasure when they tasted it.  “Is there a god of ice cream?” Nico asked.  “Because there should be a god of ice cream.”

“We’ll ask Jason when we get back,” Will said.  “Because if there is, I need to make some offerings.”

“Right?” Nico shoveled another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth, brushing the toe of his shoe up Will’s ankle. 

Will smiled at the touch, reaching across the table with his free hand to lace his fingers through Nico’s.  “So, is  _Ghirardelli_  Italian?” Will asked.

“Sounds like it,” Nico answered. 

“And how would you say it, as a proper Italian?”

Nico smiled, resting his chin on his hand.  He said the name, letting his childhood Italian accent slip into his voice as his tongue rolled effortlessly over the word.  Will tried to say it back, but Nico laughed and shook his head.

“No,  _Ghirardelli,”_ Nico corrected, his pronunciation sounding smooth even to his own ears; and maybe it was the way that Will looked at him in admiration that made Nico love his own accent so much.

Will tried again, but Nico just laughed at him – his pronunciation was clumsy, his stress on the accented syllable too heavy.  He repeated the word slowly, smiling and nodding when Will replied with a much better try.  “Better,” Nico said.  “I’ll make an Italian out of you yet, Solace.”

Will blushed as the corners of his mouth turned up happily.  “So, one last stroll through the city before we turn in for the night?” he said, taking another bite of the sundae. 

“Mm-hm,” Nico said, popping his spoon out of his mouth.  “So, good graduation gift?” he asked.

“The best,” Will answered.  “I liked the sea lions.  They reminded me of Percy.”

Nico laughed as he fished out more ice cream.  “They even  _sounded_ like him, with all the barking,” Nico agreed. 

“And lazing about on the docks,” Will added.  “I say we buy the baby a plushie when it comes.”

“A blue one!” Nico said.

Will laughed, scooping more ice cream out of the bottom of their sundae.  “I can’t believe there are only a few more months,” Will said.  “Annabeth is getting so big!”

“And I can’t believe you won’t tell me if it’s male or female,” Nico said, pointing his spoon at Will accusingly.

Will raised his hands in mock surrender.  “Annabeth said no.  She also forbade texting, hand-writing, typing, emailing, skyping or facetiming or any variation thereof, Iris Messaging, snapchatting, online chat forums, sky-writing, carrier pigeon, and every other form of communication I am able to come up with.  Including via dreams.”

“Does  _Annabeth_ know?” Nico asked.

Will rolled his eyes.  “She’s Annabeth.  Of course she knows.”  He fished the last scoop of ice cream out of the sundae and held his spoon out for Nico.  “Open wide!” he said. 

Nico rolled his eyes.  “Are you serious?” he deadpanned.

“The train is coming to the station, Nico!”  Will said, moving his hand closer to Nico’s mouth.  “Chugga-chugga-choo-choo!”

Nico flushed, hitting his forehead with his palm, but he opened his mouth and allowed Will to feed him the last bite.  After finishing, Will and Nico headed out to the streets to walk back to their hotel.  They’d left the car in a parking garage after returning from Muir Woods, walking rather than driving to Ghiradelli square. 

Will wrapped one arm around Nico’s shoulder as they walked down the road – luckily, downhill this time.  Motioning towards a shop with gay pride flags hanging from the windows, Will pulled Nico towards the door, exclaiming that San Francisco was, “like, the Gay Capital of the United States.”

“Our lives are going to be amazing here!” he said.

Nico laughed, hiding his face as Will ogled over the collection of rainbow magnets and t-shirts.  “Will, you’re so embarrassing,” he muttered. 

“No, really,” Will said.  “The LGBTQ community tends to be much smaller among, you know....”  Will lowered his voice conspiratorially.  “Mortals.”

Nico rolled his eyes.  “I noticed,” he said, as Will poured over a basket filled with buttons boasting different rainbow-colored designs.  Nico stood next to him, also examining the collection.

“Look, Nico!” Will said, showing him a button with a rainbow skull.  “Get it?  Because you’re  _literally_  the spawn of the underworld and you’re gay, so....”

Nico sighed.  “Yes, Will, very clever,” he said.

Will held the button in front of his own face happily.  “I’m going to buy this for you.” 

Nico raised an eyebrow.  “Are you serious?” 

“Yup!” Will said, bopping Nico’s nose playfully.  “And I expect you to wear it.” 

Nico smirked.  “Fine.  But only because I’m buying this one for you.”  He held up another button that he’d snatched while Will had been busy cooing over skull button – this one had a rainbow sun on it.  “Get it?  Because you’re gay and you’re my sunshine.”

Will was silent for a second, before his face lit up with a grin and he tackled Nico with a hug.  “Nico, you are the  _cutest fucking thing.”_

Nico laughed and led Will to the register where they each bought the button that they’d found, and when they got outside, they traded.  Nico stared at the rainbow skull in his fingers, then looked back up at the one Will was holding.  “Hey, Will?” he said.  “I think I want to trade back.”

Will nodded.  “Yeah, me too,” he agreed, and he gave Nico the sun button while he took the skull.  “This way I can always be reminded of my gay little ray of darkness.”

Nico laughed, taking Will’s hand and asking if he wanted to start heading back so they could get a good night’s sleep before the drive home tomorrow, and Will nodded.  Will swung their hands as they walked, chatting idly until they got back to their hotel and rode in the elevator up to their room.

“I am  _exhausted,”_ Nico announced as he flopped onto the bed.  Will fell on beside him, throwing one arm over his belly. 

“Agreed.”  Will said.  “And you need a shower.”

“Too tired,” Nico protested, pouting his lip.

Will rolled his eyes, pulling himself up and stating that he’d go first.  Once Will finished, Nico traded places with him, taking his time enjoying the hot water cleaning his sweaty skin and oily hair.  When he got out, Will had turned off the all the lights except for the one beside the bed, so Nico brushed his teeth before climbing in next to him. 

Will rolled over and snuggled Nico’s body closer to his.  “It was a good day,” he said, kissing Nico’s nose.  “Thanks.  For, you know, taking me out here.”

“You deserved a break,” Nico answered, resting his cheek on Will’s chest. 

Will hummed, threading Nico’s hair through his fingers.  “Nico?”

“Hmm?” Nico asked sleepily. 

“I wanted to tell you that I’m ready now.”

Nico blinked, trying to comprehend what Will was saying.

Oh.   _Oh._

Suddenly, he didn’t feel so tired.  “Like, you’re ready for sex?” he asked, just to make sure.

“Yeah,” Will answered, and his voice sounded at ease, unlike it did when they’d talked about it back in April.  “I mean, not here.  I want to be at home in the apartment.  Not a cheap hotel room.  And I’m not sure exactly  _what_ is okay right now, so I think I’d like to start off easy.  Like, I don’t think I’m ready for anal or anything.”

“Oh, gods, no,” Nico agreed, shaking his head quickly.  “It’s too soon for that.  Sometime down the road, but not to start with.”

“Right,” Will answered.  “But I feel like I’m ready to start exploring, you know?”

“Yeah,” Nico said.  “That’s...that’s what I want, too.”  After a pause, he cleared his throat uncomfortably, knowing there was another conversation they had to have before any sex happened.  “Will, I’m really sorry, but I...I have to ask.  Are you, you know,  _clean?”_

Will didn’t react other than to nod and say, “Yeah.  I’m clean.  I was an idiot, but I used protection.”

“Okay,” Nico said.  “Sorry for asking.  It’s not that I don’t trust you, I just–”

“No, I’m not upset,” Will assured, curling Nico’s hair around his fingers.  “It’s always the responsible thing to do.”

Nico sighed in relief.  “I love you,” he whispered. 

“Yeah, I know.  I’m really glad you do,” Will said.  “I love you, too.”

* * *

Will had to check in at the infirmary the next evening after they got back, and after an incident at the War Games, he was roped into a late night shift.  He went back to his apartment and crashed in bed at about 5 AM, and didn’t wake up until he heard his front door opening and closing.  Realizing that it was probably just Nico, he rolled over and closed his eyes again, dozing for a few minutes before he felt the bed tip as Nico climbed on behind him. 

“Come on, Will,” Nico said, gently pecking him from the skin just below his ear down to his jaw.  “I know you’re tired, but you’ve got to get up.  It’s noon already.”

Will groaned, pressing back against Nico’s lips as he kissed down his shoulder.  “I feel like shit,” he muttered.  He blinked back the dryness in his eyes.

Nico chuckled against his skin.  “You’ll feel worse if you sleep all day and can’t get to bed tonight,” he said, pulling the argument Will used on him on an almost weekly basis. “Come on, I told Hazel and Frank I’d bring you over for lunch.”

Grunting, Will lifted himself onto his elbows. 

“You need to shower,” Nico said, patting his upper arm.  “Go get in.  I’ll bring you some clothes.”

Will pulled himself out of bed and trudged into his bathroom, covering his mouth as he yawned.  He brushed his teeth before popping into the shower – he hated the taste in his mouth when he first woke up.  Nico knocked on the door when he was halfway done washing his hair and told Will he was leaving his clothes on the sink.

Will stepped out of the shower five minutes later, drying his hair with a towel, and glanced at the clothes Nico had set out for him.  He’d chosen a pair of khaki shorts and a Camp Jupiter Medical Team t-shirt.  With an odd churn in his gut, Will realized that Nico had even grabbed him a clean pair of underwear.  Will wasn’t sure how he felt about that.  Embarrassed?  Mildly turned on?  Mostly, he felt weirdly happy that Nico had done it so casually – like they already were sharing a little domestic life. 

Will shook his head, forcing himself to stop thinking about Nico touching his underwear, and dressed himself.

Nico poked his head back in as Will was shaving, holding a glass of water in one hand and smiling at the sight of his clean body.  “Much better,” he said.  “I like it when you’re groomed.”  

“You like it when I’m scruffy, too,” Will noted, dragging his razor along the curve of his jaw.  He didn’t miss the way Nico watched the blade drag over his skin, and he _knew_ he wasn’t imagining the gleam Nico’s eye when he met his gaze.  He knew because he looked at Nico the same way when Nico shaved – something about the smooth, meticulous movements of Nico’s hands moving his razor and the way he carefully touched his own skin seemed so sensual to him. 

“True,” Nico admitted as Will set down his razor and reached for a towel to wipe his face.  He passed Will the glass of water he was holding, along with a pill - Will’s antidepressant.  WIll smiled and thanked him; he remembered how surprised Nico had been when he’d found out that Will was on medication, too.  Since then, Nico had supported him.  After he’d taken his medicine, Nico gave Will his shoes and socks, and Will pulled them on before Nico tossed him his car keys and pulled him out the door, urging him to hurry, as Frank and Hazel were already waiting for them.

Hazel and Frank had made a pasta salad and sandwiches along with some sliced strawberries.  They brought their plates and drinks out to the back porch, where they sat in the shade, enjoying the weather. 

Will and Nico told them about the space they’d found in the city; a small, one bedroom apartment with a half-descent kitchen, and while they didn’t have their own washer and dryer, there were community ones down the hall on their floor. 

When they left that afternoon, Nico bade goodbye to Hazel and Frank, having apparently invited himself to spend the night at Will’s apartment.  Will didn’t mind. 

They walked back to Will’s apartment, chatting about what Nico wanted to do in the coming year – he figured he’d get a job while he looked into different schools.  Will offered to help him with his essays on the applications; after all, he’d just finished applying to medical schools, so he was a self-proclaimed expert on the matter. 

Later that evening, they went on a run through the park.  Nico had a collection of clothes that he left at Will’s apartment for the times that he stayed over, including gym clothes, as they’d started taking jogs together in the early mornings or late evenings, and sometimes went to the training grounds in Camp Jupiter. 

They each rinsed off in the shower later that evening and Nico made them a simple salad with grilled chicken, as neither were very hungry.  Nico made the dressing himself, and when Will came in after his shower, Nico dipped a piece of lettuce in the dressing and fed it to him, asking what he thought of it. 

“More basil,” Will suggested, and Nico was quick to comply, thanking him for the feedback.  After they’d sat down at the table and finished their food, Nico reached across the table for Will’s hand.

“About what you said the other night,” Nico said, stroking the side of Will’s hand with his thumb.  “You told me you were ready.  Do you still feel that way?”

Will smiled and nodded, and his chest felt comfortably warm; it felt like the right time.  “Yes,” he said.  “I do.”

Nico cleared this throat.  “So, like, right now?” he asked.

“Yes, like, right now,” Will laughed, getting to his feet and gathering up their plates.  He placed them in the sink before turning back to Nico, his hands gripping the counter behind him as Nico watched him from his seat at the table.  “I don’t have anything,” he admitted.  “So, if you want to get condoms, we’ll have to run out.”

Will saw Nico swallow.  “It’s okay,” Nico said.  “You said you were clean, so we’re good.”

“Right, I am,” Will agreed – he knew it for a fact; his most recent tests had come back alright.  “But, you know,  _before,_ we used condoms until later in the relationship when we got a bit more comfortable, so if you wanted to use them to start, we’ll have to run out and get some.”

“I’m okay with not using them,” Nico answered.  “But what about  _you?”_

Will nodded.  “Me, too.  I just wanted to make sure it was alright with you.”  He would have never suggested not using protection if he were not absolutely certain that he was STD-free.

Nico stared at him for a second before – “Come here,” he said, holding out his hand for Will.  When Will approached him, he took Nico’s hand and bent down to kiss his lips.  “I don’t know how good I’ll be at it,” Nico admitted.  “I mean, it’s been a while.”

“Same,” Will said, a warm sense of calm washing over him – his heart was racing and his hands were shaking, but he still felt  _comfortable_.  “Just means we’ll have to practice.”

“Yeah,” Nico said with a smile, his fingers traced the curve of Will’s jaw.  Will bit his lip before pulling on Nico’s hand gently. 

“Come on,” he said.  “Let’s go to the bedroom.”  Leading Nico down the hall, he took them to his room, making sure to close the blinds that he usually kept open to let in the light of the sun and stars. 

Nico wrapped his arms around Will from behind, kissing his shoulder blade.  “Can I?” he asked, tugging at the hem of Will’s shirt.

Will nodded his consent, raising his arms and allowing Nico to pull his shirt over his head.  He shook his hair out when the shirt was gone, then felt Nico’s hands sliding over his back.  “I’ve always loved your skin,” Nico whispered.  “It’s such a pretty golden color and it always feels so warm.”

Will shivered, and when Nico put his hands on Will’s hips and guided him to turn around, Will complied easily.  Nico ran his fingers over the hard muscle of Will’s abdomen, his eyes grazing over Will’s chest. 

“Can I take yours off?” Will whispered.  Nico looked up at the question, then he smiled and nodded, allowing Will to remove his shirt.

Nico’s skin had tanned over the past few months as Will urged him to spend more time in the sun.  He was starting to gain back some of the olive undertone that he’d had in his youth and had acquired again in his later teenage years.  Nico wasn’t as built as he used to be, Will noted as he stroked Nico’s sides; but he was gaining muscle at a healthy pace with all the exercise that he’d been getting in since Christmas.  Will liked it; he liked the not-too-hard, not-too-soft texture of Nico’s chest and belly, he liked the size of Nico’s arms – but then, Will was pretty sure he would like Nico’s body no matter what. 

Will realized Nico was watching as Will touched him with gentle caresses of his fingers.  “You look really good,” he finally said, blushing as soon as the words left his mouth.  He sounded like an idiot, talking like that.  “I mean...you’re gorgeous, Nico.”

Nico smiled, a breath of a laugh escaping his lips.  “Kiss me?” he whispered, stepping closer into Will’s space.

Will nodded, cupping Nico’s cheek in his hand.  He leaned down, brushing their lips past each other before giving Nico a proper kiss.  Nico sighed against his mouth, wrapping his arms around Will’s waist and pressing their chests together. 

Will gasped when Nico nibbled on his lower lip – in surprise rather than in pain.  Nico took the opportunity to trace Will’s lip with his tongue, not quite pushing into Will’s mouth.  His movements were gentle; slow and light, and Will felt like he could melt into a puddle at that second. 

Nico pulled away, taking Will’s hand and leading him over to the bed.  He guided Will into a seating position, then straddled his knees on either side of Will’s thighs.  Taking Will’s cheeks into his hands, he kissed him again, this time opening his lips and coaxing Will to move his tongue into his mouth. 

When Nico pulled away, he kissed down Will’s neck to his collarbone and gently ran his teeth over the skin there.  Will shivered, and gasped when Nico nibbled lightly before kissing him.  Pushing Nico back, he latched onto his neck, just beneath his ear, kissing down to the base of his throat before licking a stripe back up.

Nico’s hips thrust forward involuntarily, and the button of his jeans caught on Will’s abdomen and pinched his skin, causing him to pull back and hiss in discomfort. 

“Sorry,” Nico whispered.  “I didn’t mean to.”

Will nodded in understanding as his hands stroked down Nico’s chest before coming to rest on Nico’s hips, at the waistband of Nico’s pants.  He looked up at Nico with a silent question, and Nico moved his fingers to the front of his own jeans, unbuttoning them as Will watched on.  He reached out for Will’s, catching his eye and waiting for Will to nod before unfastening Will’s shorts, as well. 

Nico ran his fingers over the curls of darker blond that led to Will’s groin, every now and then looking up at Will for a nod of confirmation that it was okay to keep going.  Will kept his hands on Nico’s body, running slowly up and down his sides while his thumbs rubbed over the texture of the muscle that was beginning to develop there.  Will felt his insides stir when Nico’s hands brushed over his bellybutton, shivering at the light touch.  It was barely enough to feel, but more than enough to give him chills.  Nico pecked at Will’s lips twice before giving him a longer kiss. 

“Do you like that?” Nico asked.

Will swallowed.  “Yeah,” he answered.  He threw one of his arms around Nico’s shoulders, clinging to his neck for support as his other hand grazed over Nico’s chest.

“I don’t think I ever tried this,” Nico mumbled, gently pulling at the hair near Will’s groin.  His hand moved lower, hitting the elastic of Will’s underwear.  “Do you mind if I touch?”

“I’d mind if you didn’t,” Will grunted, tracing one of Nico’s nipples and savoring the pant he got as a reward.

Nico’s hand moved under the fabric of Will’s pants, cupping Will through his briefs.  Will was half-hard already and he groaned as Nico lightly massaged him, his own hand reaching for Nico’s crotch. 

“Can I?” he asked.

“Yes,” Nico whispered, capturing Will’s lips in a kiss as Will reached to fondle Nico through his underwear, nearly choking when he realized that Nico was as aroused as he was. 

 _“Nico,”_ he breathed, feeling like his heart was going so fast it might burst from the effort.  “Gods, Nico, I....”

“Shh,” Nico eased.  He silenced Will with a gentle kiss, his hand stilling on Will’s clothed cock.  “You okay?”

Will swallowed and nodded as his hips bucked up towards Nico’s hand.  “Just...so....”

“Do you need to slow down?” Nico asked, and Will could hear the concern in his voice through his arousal.

No, he didn’t want to slow down.  He needed to  _speed up._ He felt  _so good,_ and maybe he was a bit overexcited, but he was okay to keep going, and he wanted  _more._ “Take my pants off,” Will gasped.

Nico nodded, climbing off of Will and standing at the edge of the bed.  He hooked his fingers into Will’s belt loops, tugging his shorts over his hips and down his legs before tossing them to the side.  Will sat up, his hands going to Nico’s jeans.  “Yours, too?” he asked.

Nico nodded, his eyes wide as he watched Will pull his pants down to his ankles before stepping out of them and kicking them away.  When they were gone, Will wrapped his arms around Nico’s waist and pulled his body against his tightly, pressing his ear to Nico’s chest and listening to the racing beat of his heart. 

Nico’s body was cool against his heat, was smooth to the touch, and Will loved it.  He felt Nico pet his hair as he crouched down, sliding out of Will’s arms and kissing him before climbing back on the bed and straddling Will again.  He rolled their hips together, his arms around Will’s shoulders as Will clutched at his waist.  Will gasped and cried out at the spike of arousal from the pressure against his cock and from the feeling of how  _hard_ Nico was against him.  He could feel his own underwear getting wet from the precome leaking through the head of his cock, straining against the fabric. 

He rolled his hips up to meet Nico’s as Nico bucked against him again.   _“Will,”_ he whispered against Will’s mouth.

Will’s head spun at the breathless quality of Nico’s voice.  “Do you feel good?” he asked. 

“So good,” Nico said in between kisses.  “You’re _so_ good, Will.  You make me feel like this.”

Will whimpered, his cock pulsing at the thought that he could make Nico so aroused, so _high_ on pleasure – that Nico felt the same way _he_ did. 

Will licked into Nico’s mouth, swallowing down his moans as their hips rocked together, their clothed groins rubbing against each other.  He felt so _hot,_ like he was burning from the inside. 

“I want to see you,” Nico whispered.  Will swallowed, nodded, and Nico climbed off of him again, tugging Will’s underwear over the swell of his ass.  Will gasped as his cock was freed from the confines of the fabric, hardly noticing when Nico removed his briefs the rest of the way and tossed them away.  Nico tugged off his own underwear before cupping Will’s face and kissing him. 

“You’re so pretty,” Nico murmured against his lips.  “Look at how pretty you are.”

Will choked, pushing up to kiss Nico’s lips.  He whined into Nico’s mouth, his cock pulsing when Nico kept whispering about how _pretty_ and _beautiful_ he was.  “I love you,” Will gasped, because he felt like he had to _say it,_ in that moment.  He felt so much love bursting in his chest and he needed to _tell_ Nico, needed to share it. 

“Me, too,” Nico said.  “I love you, too.”  He moved down Will’s body, kissing down his sternum and rib cage.  When Will realized what Nico was doing, where Nico’s mouth was headed, he panicked – he didn’t want that right then.  He didn’t want Nico’s face to be so far away from his, he didn’t want to be unable to hear Nico’s voice.

He put his hand on Nico’s shoulder, getting his attention and shaking his head when Nico looked up.  “Not tonight,” he said.  “I’d rather you kiss me.”

Nico nodded without asking for more of an explanation.  He got back onto the bed, locking his lips with Will’s and guided him to lay his back down on the bed.  “Can I touch?” Nico asked, his chest barely an inch away from Will’s and their breath tickling each other’s mouths. 

“Yes,” Will answered, one of his palms resting on Nico’s chest while his other arm wrapped around Nico’s shoulders.  “Can I?”

Nico grinned.  “Please do,” he said.  The hand he wasn’t using to prop himself up with moved down to Will’s crotch, gingerly taking his cock in hand and giving it a slow, experimental stroke.  Will’s breath hitched, his hips bucking as his hand moved towards Nico’s erection, wrapping his fingers around the shaft.  Nico cursed as Will started to move his hand, Nico’s own grip on Will’s cock stuttering as he groaned. 

 _“Nico,”_ Will gasped, a wave of precum leaking from his cock as Nico swiped his thumb over the tip.

“So good, Will,” Nico said, kissing Will’s neck as his hand started to speed up on Will’s cock.  Judging by the way his belly was already tight with knots, his cock already pulsing and his spine tingling with arousal, his wasn’t going to last long – but he didn’t care.  It could have lasted all of two minutes and it still would have been perfect.  “D-do you like it?” Nico asked.

Will nodded, twisting his fist over Nico’s cockhead.  “I like it,” he said, crying out when Nico’s grip tightened.  “I  _like_ it,” he repeated, like he couldn’t tell Nico enough.  Because this was _Nico,_ the person who had always made his heart race, the person he’d been in love with since he was a _teenager_.  This was Nico telling him he was pretty and Nico touching him and loving him and wanting him.  Will’s hips rocked upward, fucking into Nico’s hand desperately, and Nico wasn’t much better off; he was bucking into Will’s fist, his movements smooth and slick under Will’s fingers from the mess of precum he was spilling.  Nico pressed his forehead into Will’s neck and his mouth latched onto the junction connecting it to his shoulder, his teeth gently pinching Will’s skin. 

“Kiss me,” Will said, his nails digging into the skin of Nico’s back.  “I’m so close, Nico.”

Nico lifted his head and crashed his lips into Will’s, pulling back only enough to say, “Me, too.  I’m almost there.”  He gave Will a squeeze at the base of his shaft, then started pumping him faster.

Will moaned, his own pace speeding up.  “Do that again,” he said, and Nico complied.   _“Shit,_ Nico, I’m...I’m gonna come.”

“Do it,” Nico said, peppering kisses to Will’s lips.  “Just like this.  Come on, Will.  Come.”

Will cried out, the pressure in his abdomen driving him wild until he felt something _snap_ inside him, and his hips bucked up without rhythm as he spilled over Nico’s hand and onto his own belly.  Will could feel the corners of his eyes getting wet from how _good_ it felt, could feel his own tears trailing down his cheeks.  Nico swallowed his sobs with a kiss, his own moan muffled as he climaxed right after Will, his come mixing with the mess that Will had already made. 

Nico pulled away from the kiss, pressing his forehead against Will’s as they caught their breath.  When Will opened his eyes and caught Nico’s glance, they both smiled and blushed and looked away with a small laugh.  

“You’re crying,” Nico observed, kissing the streaks of tears on Will’s face. 

“Good tears,” Will promised, soaking in the feeling of Nico’s lips on his face.  “I’m so _happy.”_

“Me, too,” Nico said.  He kissed Will’s lips a few more times before he reached over to the bedside table for some tissues and cleaned them off, throwing the trash in the waste bin when he finished.  He leaned down and kissed Will gently, cupping his cheeks as Will propped himself up on his elbows to push closer to Nico’s lips. 

“I love you,” Will whispered.  “I’m so absolutely in love with you.”

“Good,” Nico said, his eyes dancing blissfully.  “Because you’re not getting rid of me anytime soon.”

* * *

Nico woke up the next morning to a kiss on his shoulder and the smell of coffee. 

“Rise and shine, Bed Bug,” Will said playfully, pressing another few kisses to Nico’s shoulder through the purple cotton of the loose t-shirt Nico was wearing – one of Will’s.

Nico sighed and rolled onto his back, smiling up at Will and brushing his black hair out of his eyes. 

“Made you coffee,” Will said, passing him one of the two mugs he was holding when Nico pulled himself up to sit. 

Nico let the scent fill his nose happily before taking a sip – he’d been training Will to make good coffee, as Nico rarely woke up first, and Will liked to hear what Nico thought about the taste.  “Not bad,” he said, licking his lips.  “Still not as good as mine, though.”

“I’ve pretty much accepted that I’m never going to get to your level,” Will said, climbing onto the bed beside him.  “And, seeing as you’re never going to wake up early, we’re stuck with sub-par coffee for the rest of our lives.”

“I like to think I’m a better teacher than that,” Nico said, taking another sip of his coffee. 

“Then, by all means, prove me wrong, di Angelo,” Will said, smirking at Nico over the rim of his mug.

Nico blushed, glancing away nervously as Will did the same.  Nico could remember a similar scene occurring the morning after their  _first_ first time, the both of them awkward and shy when confronted with the reality that they’d gotten each other off.  This time, though, it felt less tense; timid, but happy.

“Will?” Nico said.  “Last night...last night was good.” 

Will raised his head to meet Nico’s eyes.  “Yeah, it felt really good,” he agreed.  Frowning and blushing, he went on, “Well, of course it felt good.  I mean it felt right and comfortable.  I was really happy.  Everything about it was just... _good.”_ Will breathed out a frustrated sigh, ruffling his already messy blond hair.  “I sound like an idiot.  Look, I mean that I’m glad we got there together.  I’m glad we’re doing something right.”

“We’re doing a lot of things right,” Nico said, setting his free hand on top of Will’s.  “And I’m really excited to  _keep_ going.”

“Me, too,” Will said, lacing his fingers through Nico’s.  “We still have a lot of good things to look forward to.  A lot of things to rediscover, a lot of _second_ first times to have.  But, you know, we still have a lot of _first_ firsts left, too.”

Nico smiled, leaning forward and pressing a chaste kiss to Will’s lips.  Will smiled against his mouth, and when Nico pulled back, he squeezed Will’s hand and said, “Okay, time to get up.  I’ll make you breakfast before your shift.”

He climbed out of bed and walked into the kitchen sipping his coffee, Will trailing along behind him.  And it felt like the most natural thing in the world when Will begged Nico to let him help, and when he stayed in the kitchen to try and be of assistance even when Nico turned him down, accidentally crushing the egg he was trying to crack and looking sheepish when Nico scolded him for getting shell mixed in with the egg.  It felt  _normal_ and  _good,_ like Nico had gone through this every morning of his life and would wake up to this every day thereafter. 

And, if Nico was honest, he couldn’t imagine it any other way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~Well, folks, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this little adventure - I, for one, will now be taking a very long, well-deserved nap.~~  
>  ~~Just kidding. I'm going to catch up on all the work I procrastinated on while writing this. Hooray.~~  
>   
> 
> Haha, just kidding. Two more chapters.
> 
> Anyhow, thanks for sticking with this fic! Feedback always appreciated. <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, you thought I was _done,_ didn't you?  
>  Granted, so did I.
> 
> The previous four chapters have been updated. Nothing major; you don’t have to go back and reread if you don't feel like it. It’s just to make the whole thing flow better and to allude to a few things that are discussed in the new chapters.
> 
> Sooo here’s what you have to look forward to: a few more details on exactly what Will went through (because there are some things that I had planned but didn’t make it in originally), more on Nico’s recovery (because let’s be real: he’s gonna have daddy issues), domestic Solangelo happiness (because who isn’t a sucker for fluff?), and lots of sex (because we all know that I can’t write a fic without sex in it).

When Nico checked his phone after getting out of work, he breathed a sigh of relief at the two-word message Will had sent him.

_“He’s gone.”_

Nico couldn’t help but pump a fist in victory as he left for the train station to make his way back to the apartment he shared with Will.  Today was a special day.  Will had even arranged to be home early so that they could spend more time together.

But _fucking Jason_ had been crashing with them all week.

And before that, it was Percy.

Or Reyna.

Or Hazel.

But mostly Jason and Percy.

With the number of visitors they’d been getting, combined with Will’s busy med student schedule and Nico’s work, Nico and Will hadn’t had much alone time since they’d moved to San Francisco a few months back.  They’d hardly gone longer than six days without _someone_ showing up at their apartment, claiming that they were “just checking in!”  Jason had popped in earlier that week, announcing that the Jackson-Chase baby had arrived, and he’d somehow ended up staying for _days,_ despite Will and Nico’s subtle attempts to kick him out.

Today was _special._ He and Will had been planning on taking the evening off for a month now, and Will had managed to get his adviser to let him go home early.  Today was Nico’s first rebirthday, and whatever Nico wanted, Nico was going to get.

Once he got home and opened the door, he was greeted by the smell of chocolate and the sight of Will in his kitchen (which, after Nico had spent a considerable amount of time training Will, wasn’t as terrifying an image as it had once been). 

Will looked up and smiled.  “Hey, Nico!” he said, wiping his hands on a dish towel before greeting him with a kiss.  “How was your day?”

“Tedious,” Nico answered.  “I missed you.”

Will laughed.  “Well, you’ve got me all to yourself for the evening,” Will said.  “Just you, me, and hopefully something that passes as chocolate cake.”

“Smells good, Will,” Nico said, punching Will’s arm playfully.  “I’m impressed.”

“I used one of your recipes, but something went wrong,” Will said, folding his arms as he looked at the cake cooling on the counter.  The cake caved in dramatically at the middle.

“You forgot baking soda,” Nico said, kissing the pout off Will’s face.  “It’s okay.  It’ll still taste fine.”

“Good,” Will said, returning Nico’s kiss.  “Happy rebirthday, Nico.  Want to help me put on the icing?”

Nico agreed, and they each grabbed a knife to spread the icing on the cake; a simple chocolate buttercream Nico had been experimenting with.  The job was done sloppily, and they ended up with icing all over their fingers and faces when they were finished, but Nico didn’t care – he liked it that way.  He heaved himself up on the counter top and Will fed him bites of cake and kissed the flavor of chocolate off Nico’s lips.

“So,” Nico said, smiling playfully as his arms wrapped around Will’s neck.  “Am I getting anything _else_ for my rebirthday?”

“You have something in mind?” Will asked.

Nico sighed as Will kissed up his neck.  “You, in bed,” he answered.  Will made a low sound as Nico ran his hands down Will’s chest before slipping them under Will’s shirt.  “Touching me just how I like, letting me touch you, too.”

“Touch all you want,” Will said.  He tugged Nico’s earlobe with his teeth and reached for the hem of Nico’s shirt, his hands grazing over Nico’s skin as he raised the fabric up his back.

And then there was a sudden knock at the door.

Nico groaned.  “I thought you said he was _gone,”_ he said through gritted teeth.

“He _was,”_ Will hissed irritably. 

“We could pretend we aren’t home.”

“No.  He’d just wait outside for us.  We at least have to _talk_ to him.”

Nico scowled.  “Fine.  But _you’re_ going to kick him out.”

Will sighed and nodded, helping Nico off the counter as they both made their way to the front door and let Jason in.

“Hey, guys!” Jason greeted cheerfully as he walked inside.

“Jason,” Nico grunted in acknowledgement.

“Wow, something smells good!” Jason said, lifting his nose.  He looked at Nico.  “What’d you make?”

“It was Will, actually,” Nico corrected.

“Oh,” Jason said politely, but he visibly tensed.  “That’s...nice.”

“Nico’s recipe,” Will assured.  “No need to be alarmed.”

Jason breathed in relief.  “Oh, thank gods.  By the way, you’re home early, Will.  You usually don’t get back until the evening.”

Nico and Will exchanged a glance.  It was a testament to how often Jason showed up at their apartment uninvited that he _knew Will’s schedule._ Nico jerked his head when Jason turned his back, giving Will a look to urge him into getting Jason out of their apartment.

“Hey, Jason, Nico and I are kind of busy,” Will said hesitantly.  “I have school and he’s working and applying to schools, so we aren’t really in a position to entertain you.”

“Just like the last dozen times you showed up,” Nico muttered.

Jason waved dismissively.  “It’s cool, I don’t need to be entertained.  I explored the city a bit today.”

“Well, it’s also, you know, Nico’s first rebirthday, so we were going to take time to celebrate that.”

“Yeah, I know,” Jason said, nodding.  “Percy was going to come, too, but he couldn’t make it.  He’s with Annabeth and the new baby.”

Will sighed.  “I mean, we were going to celebrate just the two of us.  Just Nico and me.”

Jason cocked his head to the side.  “I can clear out for the evening and come back later,” he said.

“Well, the thing is, we weren’t really expecting to have company tonight,” Will said.  “So, we kind of...well, we’d hoped to have the weekend to ourselves.  Just us.”

Jason nodded along, the gears visibly turning in his head as he worked through what Will had said.  Nico slapped his own forehead, fed up with the conversation.

“Jason!” he shouted. "We’re trying to have sex!  We haven’t had a decent chance in _weeks_.  I’m sorry, I love you, but you need to _go.”_

Jason blinked, then he looked confused, then he looked like he was battling with himself over how to respond.  “Right,” he said awkwardly, looking like something between a wounded puppy and an uncomfortable dad.  “I’ll just fly back to New Rome.”

Will looked at Nico with a guilty expression, and Nico knew what was coming.  “If it's just one night–” Will started.

“No,” Nico said firmly.  “It’s _my_ rebirthday.  If I want sex, I’m gonna get it.  It’s been _forever,_ and I’m getting pretty desperate here.”  He pointed at Jason accusingly.  “So unless you want to see a _lot_ more skin, I suggest you leave.”

“Aaaand I’m out,” Jason said, spinning on his heel.  “I’ll call ahead next time.”

“Good idea,” Nico scowled.  “And tell the others that if we need you guys, _we’ll tell you.”_

“Uh-huh,” Jason said dismissively.  “Be safe, you two.”

Nico flushed.  “Get _out!”_ he roared, pushing Jason towards the door.  Jason laughed as he was shoved into the hallway outside and Nico slammed the door shut, locked it, and then slid down against it as he breathed in relief.

“Now I feel guilty,” Will muttered.

Nico glared at him.  _“He_ was the one who showed up unannounced.”  Pulling himself to his feet, he said, “I believe you owe me rebirthday sex?”

Will smirked.  “I mean, if I _have_ to.”

Rolling his eyes, Nico pulled his shirt over his head, and tossed it over his shoulder, shaking his hair out when his head popped free from the collar.  “Strip and get in bed, Will,” he ordered.

“Yes, sir,” Will answered happily, wrestling out of his clothes as he followed Nico to their bedroom.  He scooped Nico up and kissed him before depositing him on the bed and climbing over him.  Nico was still wearing his jeans and socks, but Will had made it down to his underwear and Nico stroked up his bare thighs as Will kissed him.

“And what do you want me to do for you today?” Will asked.

Nico sighed as Will nuzzled his neck, sinking his fingers into his soft, blond hair.  He’d been thinking about this all day; had been distracted at work, thinking about Will’s hands, his legs, his arms, his chest, his _mouth...._

If Nico were honest, he was mostly thinking about Will’s mouth.

“Blow me?” he asked, smirking mischievously.

Will laughed.  “You really suck at being smooth,” he teased.  “Yeah, I can blow you.”

Nico let his head fall back onto the bed, allowing himself to enjoy the feeling of Will kissing down his chest.  He kept his hands in Will’s hair, petting his head gently.  He knew Will liked that – he liked any kind of tender, soothing touches when they were intimate.  He liked anything that Nico did to remind him that he loved him. 

When Will reached the waistband of Nico’s jeans, he sat up to unbutton them and pulled them off Nico’s legs, dropping them somewhere on the bedroom floor.  He tugged off Nico’s socks and kissed his toes, making Nico giggle.  Leaning forward again, Will put his hands on Nico’s hips and nuzzled at Nico’s crotch through the fabric of his boxers, placing loving kisses over Nico’s clothed cock. 

Nico hummed in satisfaction, feeling a comfortable wave of arousal pool in his groin.  Will licked over him a few times before sucking Nico’s covered cockhead into his mouth.  Nico whined, his hips bucking up automatically.  Will chuckled when he pushed Nico back down, pulling back to kiss up Nico’s hardening erection through his boxers.

“You’re teasing,” Nico said, his hand returning to Will’s hair. 

Will turned his head to kiss the inside of Nico’s forearm before replying.  “Are you complaining?” he asked.

“No,” Nico answered, twirling a lock of Will’s hair around his finger.  “Keep going.”

Will smiled at him and kissed his arm again before leaning back over Nico’s crotch.  He licked at the bulge forming in Nico’s underwear, moving down to mouthe at the base of his shaft and lower, towards his balls, to suck at them gently.  Nico groaned, watching Will’s face to see his expression.  The look in Will’s eyes was focused and intense as he worked at Nico’s cock, running his lips over the length of it and leaving wet trails on Nico’s boxers wherever his mouth went.  He looked like he was single-mindedly intent on making Nico feel good.

“I love the way you look when you’re like this,” Nico mumbled.

Will looked up, his eyes glinting, and then he grinned.  “Kinky,” he commented.

Nico laughed.  “That came out dirtier than I meant it,” he said.  “I meant that you look so _determined,_ like working me up is so important to you.  Like you really love me.”

“I _do_ really love you,” Will said, smiling.  “And that still sounds dirty.”  He hooked his fingers under the elastic of Nico’s boxers and Nico lifted his hips to help Will take them off.  Tossing them aside, Will fell back over Nico and licked up the underside of his shaft before wrapping the fingers of one hand around the base of his cock.  Nico couldn’t help the fact that he loved the sight of Will’s pretty pink tongue almost as much as he loved the feeling of it on his cock. 

“You’re so pretty,” Nico mused as Will kissed him below his cockhead.  He felt Will shiver – felt it under his hands, between his thighs, and on his cock.  “And you’ve got such a good mouth.  I was thinking about your mouth all day.”

Will’s cheeks flared, but he didn’t hesitate to take Nico inside his mouth, easing down the shaft until he reached about halfway before pulling back to suck at the head.  Nico groaned, his fingers curling in Will’s hair and scratching lightly at his scalp.  Will shivered at that, too, making a muffled moan around Nico’s dick.

Nico cursed when the vibrations hit his cock, fighting to keep his hips still as Will took him in deeper, until his lips hit his hand around the base of Nico’s shaft.  _“Will,”_ Nico sighed.  He pet Will’s hair gently, biting his lip when Will slowly started to bob his head.  “Mmph – oh, gods, Will.”

Will looked up and the corner of his mouth turned up slightly, his cheek muscles moving in a way that mimicked a smile, when he met Nico’s eyes.  Moving his hand away, he lowered himself further, taking Nico in until his nose reached the curls around the base of Nico’s cock.  Nico cried out, his hips rocking up, and Will choked, his nose bashing into Nico’s pelvis and Nico hissed in pain when he felt the sharp slide of teeth over his shaft as Will pulled off.

“Sorry, sorry,” Will said, his voice hoarse.  “It was an accident, I....”

“My fault,” Nico apologized.  “Sorry, I couldn’t help it.”

Will laughed, working his jaw.  “It felt that good?” he asked.

 _“Yes,”_ Nico whimpered, running his thumb over Will’s lower lip.  “Until the teeth part, that wasn’t so great.”

“Yeah, maybe we should tackle deepthroating later,” Will croaked before kissing the pad of Nico’s thumb.  “Want me to try again or should I finish you off with my hand?”

“Mouth,” Nico answered, still dragging his thumb over Will’s lips.  “Love your mouth.  Well, I love your hand, too, but right now I’m kind of fixated on your mouth.”

“Want to tell me about it?” Will asked with a cocky smirk.  He licked Nico’s thumb and took it into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it.

“I thought about you kissing all over my neck,” Nico said.  “Maybe biting a little.”

“Should I do that?” Will asked around Nico’s thumb.

“No, you should suck my dick,” Nico deadpanned, sliding his thumb out from Will’s lips.  He raised his hips slightly to get Will’s attention.  Will laughed, bowing his head to press open-mouthed kisses on Nico’s cock. 

Nico sighed, melting back into the mattress, and his hand returned to Will’s hair.  “I thought about you kissing me _everywhere,”_ Nico admitted.  “Not necessarily in a sexy way, just...just kissing me.  Loving all of my body.”

“I _do_ love all of your body,” Will pointed out before sucking on Nico’s cockhead.

Nico gasped, his back arching.  “I _know,”_ he said.  “Do you have any idea what that does to me?  How _good_ it makes me feel that you love me?”

Will looked up at Nico, and gave him a firm lick before answering.  “I think I have an idea, yeah,” he said, moving his hands to massage Nico’s hips.  “Because you do that to me, too.”

He grabbed the base of Nico’s cock with one hand and took him in his mouth again, pushing his tongue up against Nico as he lowered his head.  Nico cursed, tangling his fingers in Will’s hair and tugging gently in a way that had Will moaning in appreciation.  The vibration sent a shock down Nico’s spine.

“Just a _little_ bit faster, Will,” Nico groaned.  “I want a turn on you, too.”  Will looked up at him like he was about to say _‘you don’t have to,’_ but Nico rolled his eyes.  “I _want_ to,” Nico said.  “I _like_ getting you off.”

Will made a sound in agreement – and Nico wasn’t sure if that meant he liked getting _Nico_ off or he liked when Nico got _him_ off, but Nico decided it didn’t matter – both were true.  Will pulled back to swirl his tongue around Nico’s cockhead before bobbing his head up and down at a steady rhythm, his hand working what his mouth couldn’t reach.

 _“Good,_ Will,” Nico sighed, brushing Will’s bangs back when they fell into his face – Nico liked being able to see him.  He liked looking at the pink flush on his face, the freckles that still dusted his cheeks, the bright blue color of his eyes....

He was _beautiful._ And he was all Nico’s.

Will looked up at Nico, and whatever expression Nico was wearing made Will flush darker, bobbing his head faster and twisting his fist around the base of Nico’s shaft.  Nico groaned, tipping his head back.  His other hand went to grip Will’s head, guiding his movements – not forcing him; just helping, showing Will what he wanted.

Will took over the rhythm again, bobbing his head up at down at the pace Nico had set for him.  His tongue pressed up against Nico’s cock sweetly and it _did_ things to Nico’s body; made his back arch and his hips jerk slightly, made his guts churn with heat while his spine tingled in need.

Then Will looked up again and met his eyes and Nico was _gone,_ his hips bucking as he came over Will’s tongue.  Will kept his lips around Nico’s cock, letting him finish inside his mouth and drawing out his orgasm until Nico fell back on the bed in exhaustion. 

Will pulled off and crawled up Nico’s body until he could kiss him, and Nico could taste himself on Will’s tongue.  It made him shiver and his groin ached despite his recent climax.  Gasping into Will’s mouth, Nico hooked his leg behind Will’s knees, rolled them over, and shoved Will’s shoulders into the mattress.  “My turn,” he said with a smirk. 

Will groaned as Nico laved his tongue over his collar bone and then sucked at it gently.  He kissed down Will’s sternum, pausing to lick at his nipples, and nuzzled Will’s belly.  Will’s skin was warm against Nico’s face, the muscles hard and pleasant to touch.  Nico swiped his tongue over Will’s belly button as he pulled off Will’s underwear and tossed it on the floor.  He kissed his hips and the area around Will’s groin, pausing to lick and rub his cheek against him every so often.

Nico realized that Will was breathing hard – _anxiously._ He looked up to see Will staring at the ceiling, his hands fisted in the sheets and his lips slightly parted. 

“Will?” he said gently.  “You okay?”

Will looked at him, blinking, and smiled when he saw Nico’s face.  “Yeah,” he said, his body relaxing.  “I’m good.  Just...kiss me?”

Nico nodded and leaned up to press their lips together.  “Are you _sure?”_ he asked when he pulled away.

“I’m sure,” Will replied.  “Sorry.  I got lost there for a second, but I’m okay now – I promise.  We can keep going.  I want this.”

Nico paused to look into Will’s face before nodding.  “Okay.  If you promise.”  He kissed Will again.  “You know I was joking earlier, right?” he said.  “I _can_ wait.”

“I know,” Will answered.  “Please keep going.  I think I just need a kiss every now and then.”

Nico nodded.  “Let’s prop you up a little,” he said, reaching for a few pillows to put behind Will’s back.  Will helped maneuver them into position before lying back down.  “There,” Nico said.  “Now you can see me a little better.  That good?”

Will smiled.  “Yeah.”

Nico kissed Will’s lips a few more times before pulling away.  He took one of Will’s hands and set it in his hair.  “Touch me,” he said, settling between Will’s legs.  “Talk to me and tell me what you like.”

“I’m not going to last long,” Will admitted, his fingers tightening in Nico’s hair.

“Trust me, I _know,”_ Nico said – Will’s erection hadn’t waned during that time at all.  “You’re so _hard_ , Will.  All from having me in your mouth.”

Will groaned as Nico kissed the underside of his cock.  “Well,” he grunted.  “Not _just_ from that.”

“Oh?  Tell me what else.”

“Well, it doesn’t make it easy on me that you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen,” Will said, his voice coming out strained as Nico licked his shaft.  “And you make those sweet sounds when you feel good – that just gets to me.  You have no idea what that does to my heart.”  Will tossed back a lock of hair that had fallen into Nico’s face, smiling at him fondly.  “And then there’s the little fact that I’m falling more in love with you every second and it excites me so much when you so much as _hint_ that you want me.  But _ordering_ me into our bed, telling me to strip down, and admitting that you thought about my _mouth_ all day?  Gods, Nico, you get me so hot.”

Nico groaned, sucking at the sensitive spot just beneath Will’s cockhead.  “I’m going to suck you off,” Nico said.  “And I want you to watch me.  Don’t stop watching me, okay?”

Will nodded, his cheeks blazing red.  “Okay.”

And Will watched as Nico took him into his mouth.  Nico could still feel Will’s eyes on him, and that sent a shiver down his body.  He never thought that he’d have a thing for being watched – in fact, the idea was _embarrassing._ But maybe he was okay with it because he was so comfortable with Will.

But that didn’t fully explain why Nico _liked_ when Will watched him.  More likely, Nico felt like that because he knew Will felt so good when he could see Nico.  Because Will got off on watching Nico.  And Nico got off on Will’s pleasure.

Nico reached out for the hand Will was resting on the sheets, lacing their fingers together and squeezing gently.  Will squeezed back, and Nico pulled up to lick at the underside of Will’s cock again, meeting Will’s eyes and enjoying the sight of his blush.

“Nico,” Will whimpered.  Nico rubbed his thumb over Will’s in reply, moving his head at a steady rhythm.  He didn’t wait long before he started bobbing faster, knowing how worked up Will was already.

The fingers Will had in Nico’s hair combed through it gently.  Will was biting his lip, muffling the sounds of his moans as Nico worked his cock in his mouth.  “Not...much longer,” he gasped.  “Sorry, I...I can’t....”

Nico rolled his tongue over the head of Will’s dick, cutting off his apology.  Will made a choked noise, thrusting his hips up and his cock farther into Nico’s mouth.  Nico wasn’t expecting it, but managed to take it.  He squeezed Will’s hand again, trying to let him know that it was _okay,_ that he could come if he was ready.

Will’s hips moved again, less violently this time; instead, he moved with short, steady thrusts over Nico’s tongue.  Nico propped himself up with his free hand and let Will take over the movements, using his lips and tongue to suck and massage him until Will was crying out, his hips rocking faster, and he came into Nico’s mouth.

Nico took it, milking out Will’s orgasm until Will fell back onto the sheets.  He swallowed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before sliding up next to Will. 

“You okay?” he asked.

Will raised an eyebrow.  “I don’t think that’s typically what you ask someone after you’ve given them a blowjob,” he said.

Nico rolled his eyes and kissed him.  “I was serious, though.  Are you okay?  It scared me when you got so tense earlier.”

Will smiled, wrapping his arm around Nico’s side.  “I’m okay.  I’m sorry about that.”

“Will....”  Nico sighed, pressing his forehead against Will’s shoulder.  “Don’t _apologize_ for it.  But we do need to talk about it.  What went wrong?”

“I don’t know,” Will said.  “I was fine, and then I sort of gradually slipped out of it.  I didn’t even realize until you called me out.”

Nico pulled back and looked into Will’s eyes seriously.  “Will, that’s...that’s _not okay,”_ he said.  “What if I hadn’t noticed that something was wrong and I’d kept going and you didn’t want it?  I need to be able to trust that if I don’t pick up on something, you’ll be able to _tell_ me.  If something happens, if I do something that you don’t want, I couldn’t live with that.  We both have to be more responsible.”

“It _was_ okay, though,” Will said.  “I didn’t really feel _bad._ You weren’t doing anything that I didn’t like.  I think that maybe I was missing something that I needed to keep me at ease.  Sometimes, I need little reminders that you’re right there with me, especially when we aren’t face-to-face.  I need you to talk to me and kiss my lips.  Your mouth was kind of occupied, so I guess you weren’t giving me what I usually need.  Once you had me propped up and you held my hand and had me touch your hair, I felt better.”

“So we’ll do that from now on,” Nico said.  “And we’ll keep making new rules, okay?  We’ll find out what you don’t like, and what you do, and if those things change, we’ll change the rules.  But I need you to _tell_ me when you don’t like something.”

“I _didn’t_ dislike it,” Will insisted.  “I just...I got lost.  I got distracted.  I _always_ want you, Nico – that’s not the issue here.  The problem is that sometimes, when I don’t get reminders that it’s _okay_ that I want it, I get...nervous.  For a while, I had this ‘sex is bad’ kind of mentality, you know?  But it’s not bad when it’s with you.  When you aren’t in front of me, I have a harder time realizing that it’s _okay_ to be doing these things.”

“ _Will,”_ Nico said, and he wrapped his arms around Will’s body to pull him closer.  “Of _course_ it’s okay to want it.”

“I know it is,” Will said, hugging Nico back.  “Sometimes I just forget.  There might still be times when I’ll tell you no, though.  Sometimes, it might get to be too much for me.”

“Hey, that’s fine,” Nico said.  “I have a hand, you know.  I can take care of myself.”

Will laughed into Nico’s shoulder.  “You’re ridiculous,” he said.  “Anyway, it’s your rebirthday.  Did I deliver?”

“You always do,” Nico said, tangling his legs with Will’s.  _“Always.”_

* * *

It was half past six when Nico got home from work a few days later, arms laden with cloth grocery bags, and went into the kitchen to put the groceries away and start dinner.  Will was working with his mentor on some data in the lab and wouldn’t get back until late, so Nico was just going to make something simple for himself and leave some leftovers in the fridge that Will could easily heat up. 

He put up the milk and eggs first and was just contemplating getting a snack before finishing up when he heard a noise behind himself.  Turning, he saw nothing but the empty living room, but something made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.  As Will put it, his demigod sense was tingling. 

Nico glanced around the apartment again.  He and Will kept a few weapons on hand, just in case.  There were celestial bronze daggers in their nightstand.  Nico quickly calculated a route to the room that would leave him the least exposed, and then took off.

He stumbled halfway there, suddenly overtaken by nausea.  Nothing came up when he retched, but he still felt like his guts were being turned inside out.  He felt hot, _feverish,_ and his fingers trembled when they clutched at his stomach.  There was a growing familiar sensation in his chest, a kind of _darkness_ that he knew well.

_Underworld._

Nico whirled around at the sound of a cackle behind him, and there was _Alecto,_ in his living room, with that horrid smirk on her face.  That smirk that made her look like she’d very much enjoy biting Nico’s face off.  That smirk that she’d given Nico the last time he’d seen her a year ago, when she told him his punishment was up.

Over.  Done.  His debt paid. 

So why was she back _now?_

“Alecto,” he breathed. 

“Good to see you, Sweetheart,” she crooned.  “You haven’t come to see us in a while.”

Nico swallowed.  Why would he _want_ to see them?  He’d finally gotten _out_ of the underworld.  “What do you want?” he asked.

“That’s not very polite, now is it?” Alecto croaked.  “Is that how you greet an old friend?”

“It’s not very polite to intrude on someone’s property, either,” Nico scowled, fighting to keep his heartbeat steady.  He wouldn’t show Alecto that he was afraid – if he showed weakness, she’d eat him right up.  “Why are you here?  Trying to drag me back down to the underworld?  I know you want me dead.”

“I was against your revival, yes,” Alecto said.  “Just like I was against it when my Lord wanted to bring back your _mother.”_

“Don’t talk about my mother,” Nico hissed.  “You have _no right–”_

“You don’t have a right to be alive,” Alecto said, ruffling her wings.  “Yet, here we are.  Your father found a way around that, didn’t he?  Give a young hero an impossible quest, and then grant them a boon when they succeed.”

“He’s your master,” Nico spat.  “If you kill me now, he’ll know, and he won’t be pleased with you.”

“Kill you?” Alecto asked, cocking her head to the side.  “Why, honey, that’s not why I’m here.  I’m here on his behalf, in fact.  I came with a message.”  Leaning forward with a predatory leer, she said, “Your daddy misses you.  Wants you to visit.”

Nico couldn’t stop the flare of fear that burst up in his chest.  Go _back?_ His father wanted him to _visit?_ Nico wanted nothing to do with the Underworld.  He didn’t want to go back.  “When?” he managed to say, fighting to keep his voice steady.

“Oh, just before too long,” Alecto replied.  “Talk to your little friends about it, if you want.  But Hades wants you to come, and you _will,_ no matter how much you don’t want to.”

Alecto unfurled her wings and slipped into her own shadow before Nico could answer, and Nico immediately doubled over, crumpling to the floor and grabbing his head with his hands.  His body shook as his chest heaved with breaths that came in double time.

He couldn’t go back there.  He couldn’t go back to the Underworld, couldn’t stand in the Judgment Pavilion again.  He couldn’t stand to see Hades, not after the last time he’d seen him, after he’d begged and pleaded with the judges to be let go and they’d called for his _father_ like Nico was a troublesome child.  Nico knew that if it hadn’t been for the fact that he was _Hades’ son,_ the judges would have taken Elysium from him and sent him to Asphodel just for the trouble he caused.

What did Hades _want_ from him?  Did he have more jobs for Nico to do?  Nico _couldn’t_ be Hades’ errand boy anymore.  He couldn’t travel to the Underworld, couldn’t stand to be around _death_ as much as he had been before.  Nico hadn’t even mustered up the courage to shadowtravel since he’d been back.

But he was the god of the _Underworld,_ and it was impossible for Nico to refuse him.  He _had_ to go back.  He had to face his father, had to return to the land of the dead. 

Nico didn’t have a choice.

 

Will was going to get an hour break for dinner, so he decided to call Nico to see if he wanted to meet up, as he’d finished work by then.  When Nico didn’t answer the phone the first time Will called, Will didn’t think much of it; Nico was probably on the train and didn’t have reception or just didn’t happen to be around his phone at the time. 

He stepped out and called back about ten minutes later, and that time Nico answered.

“Will?” Nico asked, and Will thought his voice sounded soft.

“Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to meet up for....”  Will hesitated, realizing that something was off.  “Nico, are you okay?”

There was silence on the other end of the line.  “No,” Nico whispered, his breath audibly hitching.  “I’m....”

“Nico, _baby,_ what’s wrong?” Will asked, clutching his phone firmly.  Nico stuttered a few times, unable to answer, and Will remembered the panic attacks that Nico used to get.  “Do you need me, Nico?”

“Yes,” Nico gasped.

“I’m coming home,” Will said.  “Hold on just a second, let me talk to my adviser.  Stay on the phone.”  He stepped back inside the lab and pressed his phone to his shoulder.  “I’m sorry, there’s an emergency at home,” he said.  “I can stay late tomorrow, so can we make this up then?”

“Is it your boyfriend?” his advisor asked.  Will had talked to her about Nico, vaguely explaining that he sometimes had emotional difficulties, especially after a “three-year hospital stay.”  She was understanding and easy to talk to, and when Will had mentioned Nico, she’d told him that she had a daughter who had problems with anxiety and depression and she understood.

Will nodded.  “Something happened.  I’m not sure what, but he doesn’t sound good.”

His adviser waved him off.  “Go take care of it.  We’ll work through this later.  That’s more important right now.”

Will thanked her for understanding and promised to contact her before grabbing his laptop and hard drive and packing them up in his bag, raising his phone to his ear again.  “Nico, I’m on my way,” he said, shouldering his bag.  “I’m on my way home right now.  I’ll try to stay on the phone with you until I get there, okay?  I’m heading for the station.”  He rushed out the doors of the biological sciences building, hurrying for the nearest subway station.  “Talk to me.  How are you feeling?”

“Can’t...can’t breathe right,” Nico said.  “Can’t...Will, you’re coming home, right?”

“Give me ten minutes, baby boy,” Will answered, hurrying down the stairs and swiping his pass.  “I’ll be there.”

“I’m so sorry,” Nico said with a sob.  “I don’t want to force you to leave, I know you’ve got lots of work to do, but I don’t know what to do and–”

“Nico, baby, it’s fine.  I’ve talked to my adviser about it before – she understands.”  He stopped at the platform where his train would be and checked the time.  He should only have to wait a minute or two.  “She _wants_ me to be there for you.  You’re so much more important than finishing up with data cleaning tonight, okay?  And she knows that.”

“I just don’t want you to fall behind.  This is your dream, Will.  I don’t want to mess that up.”

“Nico, you _aren’t,”_ Will said.  He could already hear the train coming in.  “This isn’t a problem.  It’s nothing I can’t handle.  What I _can’t_ handle is you getting hurt.”

Nico choked over the line.

“Nico, are you hurt at all?” Will asked, worried that Nico could have done something when he wasn’t feeling like himself.

“No,” Nico said.

“Good.”  Will stepped closer to the yellow line as the train pulled in.  “I’m getting on the train now.  I might lose connection, okay?  If I stop talking, I’ll try calling you back.”

“Okay,” Nico answered.

Will stepped on board as soon as the doors slid open and grabbed on to one of the poles.  “Can you hear me, Nico?” 

“Yeah,” Nico said.  “You’re a little broken up, though.”

“Okay.  I love you, got it?  I’m coming right now.  Did you take your antidepressants today?”  Will got a look from one of the passengers, but he ignored that.  Weirder things than guys talking to their boyfriends on the phone happened on San Francisco subways.

“Yes,” Nico said.  “At least, I think I did.  I can’t remember.”

Will hushed him soothingly.  “You did, I remember now.  I was there.  Where are you right now?”

“Near the bedroom,” Nico said.  “I can’t...can’t move, Will.”

“It’s alright, Nico.  I’ll be right there.  Just a few stops.”

He was answered only by a tone.  “Shit,” he whispered, pulling back his phone and looking at it.  The red X at the top showed that he’d lost his signal.  Opening up his texts, he typed out a message to send when he got reception back.  _Lost connection.  I’ll be right there and I’ll call you back when I get enough service to get through to you.  I love you, Nico.  I’m almost home.  Play some music on your phone until I call, ok?_

Will hit the send button and watched the icon swirl as his phone tried to get the message through.  He tapped the screen when it blacked out, watching until he saw it send successfully, but reception was still too spotty to make a call.  Will kept his phone open until the train pulled into the stop near the apartment.  He got out and hurried up the stairs, calling once he was high enough to get connection. 

“Hullo?”

“Nico, you okay?”

“Yeah,” Nico answered.  “Got your text.  Listened to some music.”

“Oh yeah?  What did you play?”

“Some of your mom’s songs,” Nico said.  Will smiled.  Nico wasn’t a huge fan of country, but he _was_ a huge fan of Will’s mother.  Nico had gotten all of her songs because they soothed him.

“That would make her happy,” Will said, reaching the street and walking quickly towards their building.  “I’m almost there.  I just have to walk down a few blocks.”

“Maybe you can bring me a blanket when you get here?” Nico said.

“Yeah, I’ll bring you a blanket,” Will answered.  “I’ll get you the soft one hanging off the sofa.  Sound good?”

“Mmhm.”

Will turned on to the street where their building was.  “What else do you want?”

“Hugs,” Nico answered.

Will smiled.  “I can do that.  We’ll just cuddle all day, okay?”

“Yeah,” Nico said.  “And make popcorn and order Chinese?”

“Sure thing.  We can even break out the ice cream,” Will said.  They didn’t order in too often; Will knew it wasn’t healthy and Nico liked cooking, anyway.  However, Will was more than happy to make an exception for that, if it was what Nico wanted.

Will pushed open the door to the first floor of the apartment complex.  “I’m inside the building now, okay?  Heading for the elevator.”  He pressed the button to hail the elevator – it was already there, so he got right on and hit the number three.  “On my way up.  I’ll get your blanket and go to you, okay?”

“I’m by the bedroom,” Nico said, as if he felt afraid Will had forgotten.

“The bedroom,” Will repeated.  “Almost there, baby boy.  Everything’s okay.”  He stepped off the elevator and passed a few doors, reaching for his keys.  “Right outside.  I’m coming in.”  He put his key in the door and opened it, closing it behind him and grabbing the blanket thrown over the back of the sofa before hurrying around to their bedroom door.  Nico was huddled on the floor, his phone still pressed to his ear.  His eyes were bloodshot, his cheeks wet, and he stared at Will almost disbelievingly as he approached. 

“Right here, baby,” Will said, ending the call and setting his phone aside.  He took his bag off his shoulder before he draped the blanket around Nico’s shoulders.  “Can I touch you?”

Nico nodded, holding out his arms to ask for a hug.  Will embraced him, rubbing his hands over Nico’s back and whispering in his ear as Nico sobbed into his shoulder. 

“Alecto – _here –_ Will, she was....”

“Shh,” Will hushed, stroking Nico’s hair.  “Let’s calm you down.  Then you can tell me what happened.”  He pressed a kiss to Nico’s temple, rocking their bodies slowly and humming that tune that had always soothed Nico.

“Okay,” Nico whispered when his breathing turned regular.  “I’m okay.”

Will kissed his temple again.  “Let’s go sit on the sofa, okay?” Will suggested.  He helped Nico get to his feet and guided him to the sofa.  He pulled Nico into his lap and cuddled him close.  “Okay, Nico.  What happened?”

“Alecto,” Nico said.  “She...she was _here.”_ He pressed his forehead against Will’s chest and told him about how Alecto had appeared, about how his father wanted him to return, about how _scared_ he was and how much he didn’t want to go.

“You _can_ say no,” Will said.  “You don’t have to go.”

Nico shook his head.  “I _can’t._ You know I can’t.  He’s a _god,_ Will, one that did me a huge favor.  I owe him _everything,_ and if he asks something of me, I can’t refuse him.”

“Nico–”

“And I have to face my fear,” Nico whispered.  “Because one day, whether I like it or not, I _will_ have to go back there.  We all will.”

Will bit his lip and hugged Nico tightly.  “Okay,” he said, because he knew Nico was right.  What Hades did for Nico was no small matter – he broke a lot of rules to bring Nico back.  “But for tonight, let’s just relax, okay?”

Nico nodded, shifting his weight until his knees were straddling Will’s thighs, and he wrapped his arms around Will’s neck, covering both of them with the blanket.  He kissed Will, and Will could feel that he was holding something back – Will was, too.  They kept the kiss chaste and sweet.

They’d made an agreement a few months back; when one or both of them was going through a low phase, they wouldn’t have sex.  Will had expressed his fear of them taking advantage of each other in a weakened state, when they’d say and do things that they normally wouldn’t.  They’d kiss and hug and say they loved each other, but it wouldn’t get more physical than that.

“Let’s just watch movies or something tonight, okay?  And later, we’ll see how you feel and talk about what we’ll do tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Nico asked.  “What’s tomorrow?”

“I mean, we’ll talk about whether you want me to stay home with you,” Will said.

“What?”  Nico shook his head.  “No, don’t do that.  You have to go to class.  I’d feel so guilty if you stayed home.”

“We’ll talk about it later tonight,” Will repeated, because he _would_ stay home with Nico, if Nico needed it.  He’d take Nico with him, if Nico wanted to come.  Will doubted his professors would mind.  “Want to watch _Avengers?”_

 * * *

Nico was roused the next morning by the sound of Will rustling through their bedroom and opened his eyes to see him pulling on his shoes.  “Hey,” Will said when he noticed Nico was up.  He leaned over to kiss Nico’s forehead.  “I was just about to wake you.  Still feel okay?”

Nico nodded.  He’d told Will last night that he wanted him to go to school – but Nico had called in sick to work.  “I can make you breakfast,” Nico said, pulling himself to sit up.

“Don’t worry about it,” Will said.  “I already ate.  I made waffles – there are some left in the kitchen.”  Waffles were one of the few foods Will could make as well as Nico.  “Come on,” Will urged.  “I want to make sure you get your antidepressants.”

Nico slid out of bed and followed Will to the kitchen, where he took his pill container out of the cabinet and got a glass of water.  He saw Will taking a pill, too, and recalled how shocked he’d been when he found out that Will was also taking antidepressants.  When he stayed over at Will’s place in New Rome, he’d always noticed Will taking medicine in the morning, but hadn’t asked what the pills were for until one day in March.  When Will answered, “They’re antidepressants,” Nico had looked from him to the bottle of prescription medication like he didn’t understand: Will Solace, the human personification of sunshine, taking antidepressants?  Then he’d held his hand out and asked if he could see.  Will had handed the bottle over and let Nico read the label, and, sure enough, it said _William Solace_ and gave the name of an antidepressant that Nico recognized. 

“You...you take...?” Nico had stuttered, and Will had just nodded.

“Have for a few years now,” he’d said.  “They help.”

Now, Nico and Will always helped remind each other to take their medicine.  Maybe it would seem weird to other people, but that made Nico happy.  It made him feel like he and Will were getting through it together.

“You still okay with me leaving?” Will asked, reaching out to rub Nico’s shoulder. 

Nico nodded.  “I’ll be fine,” he said.  “Not one hundred percent, but I can handle myself while you’re in class.”

“Alright,” Will said.  He leaned forward to kiss Nico’s forehead.  “I’ll call during my lunch break.  Maybe listen to some music, watch a movie, or go for a jog if you feel up to it,” he suggested.  “And why don’t you call Percy and Annabeth?  Iris Message them and see the baby.”

“Okay,” Nico said.

“But don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything,” Will said.  “Shoot me a text every now and then to let me know how you’re doing.”

“Got it,” Nico replied.

Will kissed his lips.  “I love you,” he said.  “I’ll be back soon.”

“Have a good day,” Nico said.

“You, too, Nico,” Will said, kissing him again.  “I really, really love you.”

“Will!” Nico said when Will didn’t stop giving him chaste little kisses.  “You have to go to class!”

“I know, I know,” Will said, shouldering his bag, which had been resting on the kitchen counter.  “I’m just…I’m going to miss you.  You scared me last night.”

Nico swallowed and nodded.  “I’m going to be okay, Will.  I promise I’d let you know if I wasn’t.”

Will smiled and ran his fingers through Nico’s hair.  “Okay.  I believe you.”  He kissed Nico one last time before finally pulling away.  “I’ll see you later.”

Nico walked him to the door and said he’d lock it behind Will.  “Hey, Will?” Nico said, poking his head out the door and looking at Will as he walked down the hallway to the elevator. 

“Hm?” Will asked turning back. 

“I love you, too,” he said softly, offering Will a small smile.

“I know,” Will answered, stepping back towards the elevator doors.  “I love you three.”

“I love you four!” Nico shot back.

“I love you infinity!” Will called as he hit the elevator button.

“I love you infinity _squared!”_

“Nico, that doesn’t make sense!” Will laughed as the doors open.  He stepped into the elevator.  “I’ll be back tonight.  Take care of yourself.”

“I will,” Nico promised.  “See you later.”

Will waved as the doors closed, and Nico went back into their apartment and locked the door behind him, sighing to himself when he looked around.  It was too quiet when he was in there by himself, so he took Will’s suggestion and put on some music, using the phone Leo had given him and hooking it up to a set of speakers. 

It was too early in the morning to call Percy and Annabeth, so he grabbed a plate of waffles, smiling to himself when he saw that Will had sliced strawberries to put on top.  He lounged on the couch for a little while and played video games, and once it reached about nine in the morning, he texted Percy and Annabeth to ask of they were available to Iris Message.  When they replied in the affirmative, he retrieved the fountain that was used to send Iris Messages, brought it into the kitchen to avoid making a mess, and called.

Percy came into the picture, sitting on the sofa, and Nico could see Annabeth making her way over, holding their new baby in her arms.  They’d moved to New Rome over the summer because they felt like it was the right environment for raising a family.  After having their daughter, Joanna “Jojo” Jackson-Chase, a few weeks ago, Nico hadn’t heard much from them (except for a colossal amount of picture texts from Percy). 

“Hey, Nico, what’s up?” Percy asked, smiling happily.

“I...just thought I’d call,” Nico said vaguely, realizing that he hadn’t exactly thought through what he’d talk to them about.  He just knew that the two of them had a way of making him feel better when he was down.  They always took care of him.

They reminded him of Bianca that way.

Annabeth passed the baby to Percy before sitting down.  “You want to see Jojo?” she asked.  “I just finished feeding her.”

Nico nodded, and Percy held out their daughter for Nico to see.  “She hasn’t been letting us get much sleep,” Percy said.

“And last night was _my_ turn to take care of her,” Annabeth sighed, rubbing her eyes.  “I swear she’s quieter on your nights,” she told Percy.

Percy grinned, wiggling his finger in front of his sleeping daughter’s face.  “Smart kid,” he said.  “She must know who the _cool_ parent is.”

Annabeth shoved him teasingly, not enough to jostle Jojo, and looked back at Nico.  “So, what’s going on?  You never call without a reason.”

Nico started to protest, but they both silenced him with a look.  “Alecto came yesterday evening,” he mumbled, and he relayed the story for them.  They listened quietly.

“You could say no,” Percy said, just like Will had.

Nico shook his head.  “Percy, I can’t.  You _know_ I can’t.”

“Nico, man, your dad _likes_ you,” Percy said.  “In fact, he likes you enough that he brought you back to life when you asked him to.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I spent all my points on that one,” Nico muttered.  “I’m not sure if he’s a big fan of me anymore.”

“It’s not like we haven’t said no to gods before,” Annabeth pointed out.

“I _can’t,”_ Nico said.  “I have to go.  I owe him.  You guys know that.”

Annabeth and Percy looked at each other before nodding; they _did_ get it.  “Okay,” Annabeth said.  “Then don’t go alone.”

Nico nearly choked.  “You expect me to take someone?” he asked incredulously.  “Are you serious, Annabeth?  You both _know_ how dangerous it is down there if you aren’t careful.  I’m a child of the Underworld, so I’m relatively safe, but I can’t bring Hazel, and everyone else–”

“We’d go,” Annabeth interrupted.  “We’ve been there before.  We’d get in the car and drive to LA with you if you asked us to.  Nico, you don’t have to go alone.”

“I can’t – you two have a _baby,”_ he said.  “You have to take care of Jojo.  Besides, I doubt my dad would be too pleased to see either of you.”

“Okay, so take Will,” Percy suggested.  “Take Reyna, or Jason, or Piper.  Take _someone.”_

Nico shook his head.  “I _can’t–”_

“Yes, you _can,_ Nico,” Annabeth said.  “Any of us would be more than willing to do that for you.  Besides, don’t you think it’s time you introduced your dad to Will?”

Nico felt his facial muscles twitch in an almost-smile at that idea – it was true, he’d once thought quite often about bringing Will on a brief visit to the Underworld.  “Maybe,” he relented.  “Will’s just really busy.”

“Yeah,” Percy admitted, pausing to hush his daughter when she stirred after feeling him speak so suddenly.  “He is busy,” Percy went on.  “But he also _loves_ you, Nico.  He’d work it out – he’d find a day for the two of you to go.”

“You’ll think about it, right, Nico?” Annabeth asked. 

Nico swallowed, but nodded.  “Yeah.  I will.”

“Okay,” Annabeth said, sounding satisfied.  “And look, Percy and I will always be here for you.  If you ever need us, give us a call.  Because we _will_ find a babysitter and we’ll come down to see you. Or we’ll bring Jojo with us, if you’re up for a kid.”

“Please, no more visitors,” Nico said, ruffling his hair.  “We finally just got rid of Jason.”

Percy laughed.  “Oh, yeah, he told me about that,” he said.

Annabeth frowned.  “What?”

“I didn’t tell you?” Percy said.  “Well, Jason was at Nico and Will’s place and Nico got fed up with–”

“Is _nothing_ private?” Nico asked, burying his face in his hands. 

 _“You’re_ one to talk.  You spouted off details about your sex life to Jason!” Percy protested.

Nico gasped.  “Percy, don’t talk like that in front of your baby!”

Percy rolled his eyes, cooing over his daughter.  “She can only communicate in cute little gurgling noises.  We’re good for now.  Anyway, we don’t have to come to you – you can come to us, too.  We’d love to have you.”

“We want Jojo to grow up knowing you,” Annabeth added.  “Back when we were starting to seriously think about kids, we decided we wanted to raise them in New Rome, where they’d be safe and grow up knowing all of our friends.  There were several nights that we stayed up late talking about how much we wished our kids could have known you.  We wished that you could’ve been there for them.”

Nico felt his jaw go slack.

“You’d be a really great role model,” Percy said.  “And you’re important to us.  We want you to be important to our kids, too.”

“I want that, too,” Nico said.  He hadn’t really thought about it much before then, but he wanted to be there for Jojo.  He wanted to be there for his other friends’ kids.  He wanted to be the uncle they went to visit when they got sick of their parents. 

Annabeth patted Percy’s knee.  “Why don’t you two talk for a bit?” she suggested.  “I’m going to take a nap.”

“Go ahead,” Percy said.  “I’ll wake you for lunch.”

“Mm,” Annabeth said, getting up and yawning.  “You really should be waking me to work out and go on runs.  I need to work off all this baby fat.  But I also really want to sleep and eat lots of carbs.”

“I think the baby fat is cute,” Percy pouted.  “Your boobs are _huge.”_

“They’re _droopy,”_ Annabeth protested.

“I’m still here!” Nico interrupted.

Annabeth laughed.  “Sorry, Nico,” she said before turning her attention back to Percy.  “I want my body back, and you’re going to help me.  No more hamburgers.”

“Fine, fine.  How about hot dogs?”

Sighing, Annabeth turned to look at Nico.  “I swear, I thought I’d trained him better than this,” she joked.  When Percy pouted, she gave him a kiss.  “But I wouldn’t trade you for anything,” she assured.

“Sleep well,” Percy said.

“Oh, I will,” Annabeth replied.  “Talk to you later, Nico.”

“’Later,” Nico answered. 

For a while, Percy talked about Jojo, about how much she slept and how much she ate, about how changing diapers was gross, but he and Annabeth had gotten practice when they helped his mom out with his little sister.  He said that breastfeeding still kind of weirded him out, and that it also made him feel a little sad because he couldn’t do it.  He asked Nico if that was weird.  Nico said yes.

After a while, Percy asked, “Do you want kids?”

“I...I don’t....” Nico stuttered, caught off guard by the question.  “I’m not good with them,” he finally said.  “Will would be great at it, but I’m not sure that I could make a kid happy.”

Percy shrugged.  “I dunno about that, man.  You were always good at training young campers, and my little sister loves you.”

“Yeah, but I don’t have to worry about messing them up.  If I make a mistake, someone else will fix it.  If it’s my own kid, they’ll be stuck with me.”

“Dude, you are way too uptight,” Percy cut in.  “Seriously, you need to chill out.  I’ve only been a dad for about a month, so I’m no expert, but my mom _is._ I said pretty much the same thing as you when I was talking to my mom after Annabeth and I found out we were going to have Jojo.  Being a dad _scares_ me.  Honestly, I’d be less scared if you told me that both Gaea and Kronos were out for my blood.  You know what my mom told me?  She said that mistakes aren't something you should be so afraid of.  The problem is that, as a parent, you’re holding someone’s life in your hands, so you think you have to be perfect – but that isn’t possible.  So, instead of being a _perfect_ parent, you have to try your hardest, strive for excellence, and have faith that your kid will be smart enough to make up for your shortcomings.”

Nico swallowed.  “You’re lucky you had Sally,” he said, and it was one of the few times he’d ever voiced his jealousy over his friends’ parents.  He loved Sally and Naomi, and Piper and Annabeth seemed to have pretty cool mortal families, too.  Nico didn’t have that.  He didn’t know how to make a family.

Percy just looked at him gravely, like he wasn’t quite sure how to respond.

“Sorry,” Nico said awkwardly.  “I didn’t mean....”

“It’s fine,” Percy said.  “I get it.  I know I’m fortunate that I had her growing up, even if it wasn’t always easy.  I had a good model.”  He paused.  “I also had a really bad one.  So when I make mistakes with my marriage, or at times when I didn’t take care of Annabeth well enough when she was pregnant, or when I don’t pick up on something that I should, or when I gave Jojo diaper rash, I think, ‘At least I’m not like Gabe.’  And maybe that’s not the most noble thought to have, but it’s true.  At least I’m doing my best.  At least I _care._ At least my heart is in the right place.  And at least I’m learning.  So if I know you at all, you’d put everything you have into being a dad, and that’s what will make you great.”

Nico looked away, the gaze of Percy’s green eyes getting to intense for him to handle.  He’d always had a hard time handling eye contact – especially when he felt like he wasn’t in control of the situation.  “It won’t happen anytime soon, if it ever does,” Nico said.  “Not until we’ve settled down, finished school and gotten stable jobs.  Then...I don’t know.  Maybe.”

“That’s okay,” Percy said.  “And not everyone has to have kids.  I just don’t want you to think that you’d be bad at it.  If I can do it, you definitely can.”  After a minute of playing with Jojo, he asked, “What about getting married?  Have you and Will talked about that?”

“Gods, Percy, sometimes I’m not sure who’s worse – you or Jason,” Nico muttered.

“Okay, fine, you don’t have to answer,” Percy said with a shrug, but he looked disappointed.

“No, it’s....”  Nico glanced at the refrigerator, where a magnet was holding up a picture of him and Will with Hazel and Frank at their wedding.  He recalled the conversation he and Will had had when they’d gotten home that night, when Will sat him down and point blank asked him what he thought of marriage.  It was too soon to start planning anything, too soon for an engagement, but Will just wanted to know what page Nico was on. 

Of course, Nico and Will had talked about it _before –_ when they’d been dating for _years_ and it had seemed like nothing would ever tear them apart. 

But the night after Hazel and Frank’s wedding, Nico and Will had promised each other that they were in for it for the long haul, and agreed that marriage was a goal that they wanted to pursue at some point in the future.  Will had told Nico he wanted to finish his schooling before they started planning; he wanted to get his life on track before it became _their_ life, because he wanted their marriage to have the best foundation possible.  He’d asked Nico if he could wait for him.  Nico had said yes.

“It won’t be for a while,” Nico said.  “But it’s...it’s definitely something that we’re planning to do, sometime down the road.”

“Aw, sweet!” Percy said happily.  “Bro, I call dibs on best man.  I don’t care what kind of sweet talk Jason uses on you, I was your bro first.  I also will withhold your right to use my daughter as your flowergirl if you don’t chose me.”

“Percy!” Nico scowled, smacking his forehead.  “You are _ridiculous.”_

 

When Will came home that night, he was greeted by the smell of spaghetti and the sight of his boyfriend’s smile, which was a relief.  Nico had sounded better when he’d called during his breaks, but seeing him looking so much more relaxed put Will at ease. 

As they ate, Nico told him about his talk with Percy and Annabeth, and it wasn’t until after they finished that Nico took his hand and the look in his eyes turned the conversation serious.

“Will, I’m going to go see my father,” he said.  “But I don’t want to go alone.  Would you be willing to go with me?”

“Yes,” Will said.  He didn’t hesitate for a second.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I was pretty _meh_ about the fourth chapter of Varnish. It’s probably because I really liked chapter 3, and then the fourth chapter was like “Look at all these loose ends that need tying!”
> 
> I know this sounds crazy coming from me, seeing as pretty much all I write is smut, but I felt a little weird ending the fic on sex. Like, I didn’t want it to be like sex was the final step to making their relationship work. Like, yeah, sex is great and an important thing to work out in relationships – but it isn’t everything. I didn’t want it to be the grand finale – like “look, they had sex! Everything is sparkles and rainbows and unicorns now!” Because no. Just no.
> 
> Also, every one go read the other two Nico-disappears-then-reappears fics, if you haven't already. I didn't even realize that I was the second in such a short time - and now there are three!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The REAL final chapter!

It was a Friday in November when Nico and Will drove to LA.  They’d messed with their schedules until they could find a day when they could get out early and go on a day trip to the city.  As the drive wore on, Nico got quieter and quieter, anxiously drumming his fingers on the armrest of his seat as he stared out his window.

Will sighed, adjusting his grip on the steering wheel.  “Nico?” he called.  Nico turned at the sound of his voice, looking surprised that he’d spoken, almost like he’d forgotten that Will was even there.  “You’re zoning out again,” Will said.

“Sorry,” Nico said, placing his hands in his lap.  “I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

“I’d imagine so,” Will said.  “But brooding isn’t going to help.”

Nico nodded glumly.  “Yeah.  Yeah, I know.”

Will chewed at his lip.  “So, do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.”

“Oookay.  Do you want to play a game?”

Nico raised an eyebrow.  “Like what?”

Will shrugged.  “I don’t know.  I Spy or something.”

“We’re in the middle of fucking nowhere, Will,” Nico said, gesturing at the general lack of everything outside the car.  “There is _nothing_ to spy.”

“Okay, then no I Spy,” Will said.  “How about I explain what we’re doing in my neurophysiology lab?”

“You’re studying multiple sclerosis,” Nico mumbled.  “It’s a demyelinating disease.  The myelin covering the axons of neurons in the central nervous system deteriorates, disrupting the ability of the axons to conduct nerve impulses and therefore inhibiting communication in the brain and spinal cord.”

“Oh,” Will said.  “That’s...wow.  Good job, Nico.”

“You’ve explained it to me before,” Nico muttered.  “Several times, actually.  And I took biology in college.  And I sometimes read your textbooks when I get bored.”

“Seriously?” Will asked.  “Why aren’t _you_ getting an MD?”

Nico shrugged.  “Well, one reason is that I don’t have a bachelor’s degree.  Because I _died.”_

Will opened his mouth, closed it, and then said, “I really don’t know how to react when you make those comments.  Can you, like, _not_ do that?”

Nico grunted, turning to look out the window of the passenger’s door again.

“Nico, I’m trying to help,” Will said. “You could at least work with me.”

Sighing, Nico rolled his head back around to face Will.  “You’re right, I’m sorry.  Can we talk about something happier now?”

“Yeah,” Will agreed.  “So!  Thanksgiving.”

The holiday was coming up soon again and that year, Will’s mom was going to visit them.  She was going to stay for five days and Will was planning to take her to his classes one day to show her where he studied and introduce her to his professors.  She and Nico were planning to have a day to themselves, too.  Nico chatted excitedly about all the places he wanted to take her – he’d make her lunch and they’d eat at Fisherman’s Warf and he’d show her where he worked.  They were going to bring her to the Palace of Fine Arts once Will got off school. 

Nico had cheered up by the time they’d reached LA, but once they got out of the car and started walking around town after checking in at their hotel, Will could tell he was getting anxious again.  He took Nico’s hand, offered him a smile, and knew that there was little else he could do besides be there for Nico when he needed comfort.

* * *

Will woke up with a sharp gasp of terror in the dark hotel room, his body covered in sweat, his stomach unsettled, and his heart racing.  Nico was in the bed next to him, his chest heaving.  Wet tracks of tears shined on his cheeks in the dim light leaking in from between the window curtains.

“Nico,” Will said, reaching out to shake his shoulder so he could wake him from his nightmare.  It was a bad one, even for Nico; Will had seen bits and pieces slip into his own dream.  That happened to both of them on occasion; snippets from each other’s dreams seeped into their own heads, their visions sometimes mingling together.  They’d both been pulled into each other’s nightmares before.

When Will’s hand hovered over Nico’s shoulder, he was hit by a wave of darkness, trauma, and hopelessness rolling off Nico’s body.  His gut churned with a sudden feeling of nausea and Will covered his mouth, jumping out of bed and running to the bathroom.  He fell to his knees and retched into the toilet, hating the taste of vomit on his tongue and the uncomfortable twisting of his insides.

It wasn’t the first time Will had been sick after witnessing one of Nico’s dreams.  Sometimes the aftermath was worse – sometimes they’d both wake up hyperventilating and screaming, unable to comfort each other through their own panic.

Will flushed the toilet and washed his mouth with a quick brush, deciding he’d clean up properly once he’d gotten Nico awake and calmed down.  Returning to Nico’s side, he touched his shoulder and called out to him loudly.  Nico’s eyes snapped open and he sat up with a gasp.  Out of confusion, he fought against Will’s hold, so Will quickly pulled away to wait for Nico to realize where he was.  Nico choked on his own breath, coughing and wheezing, and Will was afraid he was going to be sick, too.

“Nico,” Will said, trying to get his attention so he could help calm him down.  He took Nico’s hands and held them against his own cheeks.  “Nico, look at me.”

Nico spluttered like he couldn’t breathe properly and then coughed with a violent full-body convulsion.

“Come on, pretty boy,” Will said.  “Look at me.  Look at Will.” 

A shudder ran through Nico’s body and his fingers twitched against Will’s cheeks, but he didn’t look up.  He kept his head bowed and Will couldn’t see his face.

“That’s it, Nico,” he whispered, stroking his thumbs over Nico’s fingers.  “Listen to my voice.”  He took a deep breath and started humming before he began to sing that old lullaby; the one he always sang when Nico work up from nightmares, the one he’d sung for Nico over Christmas and after Nico’s bad dream during his first night in the infirmary all those years ago following the Giant War. 

It was the lullaby Will’s mother used to sing for him when he was young.

_“When lightning strikes and thunder growls  
Remember that it’s just for now.”_

Will heard Nico swallow and he gave Nico’s hands a gentle squeeze.  He could still remember his mother singing it for him on rainy nights when Will was woken by thunder and dreams plagued with monsters.  Will’s mother would sit down on his bed, hold him in her lap, and she let him rest his head on her warm chest so that he could listen to the soothing thud of her heartbeat.  Then she’d open her mouth and start to sing and the resonant, peaceful sound of her voice would wash over Will, clearing away his anxiety and replacing his fear with warmth.

 _“Buds will bloom_  
_Grass will dry_  
_And until then I’ll stay close by.”_

And then, when Nico had suddenly woken up screaming on the first night of his three-day infirmary stay all those years ago, Will’s reaction had been immediate.  It wasn’t the first time a demigod had woken up from a nightmare in the infirmary, but it was the first time Will had ever sung that lullaby to anyone.  Sometimes he’d sing hymns to his patients to soothe them or to help them heal, but he’d never let anyone hear the lullaby that he kept so close to his heart.

_“I’ll take your hand inside of mine,  
I’ll hold you ‘til the sky is light.”_

For a long time, Will had wondered what had made him sing that lullaby for Nico.  He’d thought it was because he’d never seen anyone wake up that horrified before; that it was because he’d never known any demigod that was burdened with worse nightmares than Nico di Angelo. 

_“I know it’s cold, I know it’s loud,  
I know you fear the dark storm cloud.”_

Now, Will thought differently.

Nico sniffed and then he leaned forward and rested his forehead against Will’s chest.  Will released his hands, letting Nico’s arms slump to his sides, in favor of embracing Nico and running his fingers through Nico’s soft hair.

 _“But lightning fades_  
_Clouds roll away_  
_The sun will keep the storm at bay.”_

Will felt a few warm tears fall into his lap and he could hear Nico quietly whispering the words along with him.  He pressed the tip of his nose into Nico’s hair as he finished singing.

_“The storm’s no cause to be afraid;  
It’s sounds of angels on parade.”_

Nico sniffled and Will pressed his lips to the top of Nico’s head.  Sniffing again, Nico climbed into Will’s lap, curled up, and tucked his head under Will’s chin.  Will held him to his chest, whispering gentle words as Nico’s tears made wet spots on Will’s shirt.  After a minute, Nico’s tears started to dry and he sat in Will’s arms quietly for a bit.  Will could tell he was starting to drift off again, but he shook himself every now and then to stay awake.

Will brushed Nico’s hair behind his ear.  “You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Nico answered.  “Sorry, that...that was a bad one.”

Will tipped Nico’s head back and ran his thumb over the corner of Nico’s eye, wiping away the wetness that was still there.  “I could tell,” he said.

Nico looked at Will for a second and then he leaned up to kiss him, but Will held him back.  He could still taste bile on his tongue.  “Just...just a second, I need to brush my teeth.”

Nico looked confused, but crawled off Will’s lap and let him go.

“I....” Will started as he got up.  “Trust me.  You don’t want to kiss me right now.”

Nico frowned as Will went to the sink to wash out his mouth.  As Will brushed his teeth, Nico’s eyes flickered from Will to the bathroom, an expression of understanding falling onto his face.  “Did...did you...?”

Will looked back at him, feeling guilty.  He didn’t want Nico to know, but he wouldn’t lie to him, either.  “Yeah,” he admitted, and Will rinsed before speaking again.  “That one was really strong.  Really loud.  I could see bits of it in my dream, too.” He paused.  “I’m sorry.  I know you don’t like it when I see.”

Nico bit his lip and Will knew that they were both remembering other nights when they’d shared dreams - nights when one or both of them was visited by monsters in their sleep, nights when Nico, unable to control his ability to travel through dreams, ran into Will’s head without meaning to, either seeking comfort from his own fear or because he could sense Will’s and was rushing in to protect him.  Then there were nights like these, when one of them had nightmares that were so strong and violent that the other couldn’t help but pick up some images.  While Will would never fully understand what Nico went through in the years when he was on his own or when he journeyed through Tartarus by himself, nor what it was like to be trapped inside that jar or endure three years of nothingness and solitude, there were some things that he saw through those nightmares that gave him some idea of exactly how much pain Nico really shouldered.

“I don’t think anyone should have to see,” Nico whispered.

“No,” Will agreed.  “And definitely not alone.”  Will turned, his hands nervously gripping the counter behind him.  “Nico?” he said softly.  “Do you wonder if maybe we shouldn’t have left New Rome?” Will asked.  “Do ever wonder if we should’ve stayed behind?  I...I can’t always be there for you.  Maybe it would be better if you were around people who can take care of you all the time.”

“I’m sorry,” Nico said, looking like he was ready to start crying again.  “I’m trying, Will.  I’m trying to get better.  It’s just so  _hard._ I don’t want to be like this and I don’t want to be a burden for you and-”

“Nico, _no_ ,” Will interrupted.  He quickly crossed the room to kneel on the floor in front of Nico and took Nico’s hands in his own.  “Nico, you aren’t a problem for me.  Don’t ever think that you’re a problem for me.  The problem is that I’m not able to be there for you as often as I’d like to be.  But it’s not just that; you also need more than just me.  I’m not the magic key to making all the bad things disappear.  Nico, if you ever need something that I can’t give you, tell me.  That way we can work together to find out who can.  We can take a trip to New Rome or Camp Halfblood, or we can invite someone to come see us.  We can even go to Texas and see my mom if you want.  And, if you’re open to it, we can get you a doctor – a counselor.  A halfblood or a legacy, someone who you can be open with.  Nico, you’re getting so much better.  But it would be irresponsible to think that we don’t need anything else and that it’ll just keep getting better.  I think we need help.”

Nico bit his lip, looking defeated.  “I’m just not...I’m not comfortable with it.”

Will sighed and nodded.  “Okay,” he said.  He knew there was nothing he could say that would _make_ Nico comfortable with it and if Nico wasn’t comfortable, he wouldn’t get anything out of his sessions.  He wished Nico were more open to it; he really thought a counselor could help.

Will knew that from experience.  But he also knew from experience that therapy was worthless if the patient didn’t want to receive it.

Will could remember the first time that Reyna and Hazel suggested that he go to a doctor to get help.  The Romans had always had psychotherapy resources offered by adult demigods and legacies who understood the trials that the campers went through.  When Reyna and Hazel first voiced the idea, it was just a few days after Nico had died, and Will went along with it for a few sessions because he couldn’t think of anything better to do than what he was told.  The therapy hadn’t made him feel any better.  He stopped attending after a couple weeks as he fell further into depression, when he started going to bars outside of New Rome, away from people who knew him, because the alcohol helped.  He drank fairly often, but never got addicted to the liquor.

He got addicted to the sex.

The first time it happened, Will was drunk and had just gone along with it when some guy he never saw again drew him out behind the bar and they kissed roughly and jerked each other off.  To Will’s clumsy, diluted mind, it felt good; it was the first time since he’d lost Nico that he’d felt like he was _alive._

And after that first time, Will was sick for days.

But he kept going back, kept doing it, even though he’d always feel sick with guilt the morning after.  Maybe feeling sick was a reward in itself; it was better than the numb state of depression that he’d been in before that.  Maybe feeling so terrible was preferable to feeling nothing.

Remembering the punishment that Nico had endured for three years, Will spared a thought to the idea that Nico might agree.

It wasn’t until Will had returned to New Rome after about a year that Reyna and Hazel tried to convince him to go to therapy again.  By then, he’d stopped sleeping around, but he would still relapse with alcohol occasionally.  He’d resisted the idea of therapy at the time.  He hadn’t thought it would help.

He’d also been embarrassed. 

But Hazel, along with Reyna and Piper, had been persistent, and one day when Hazel offered to walk Will to the counseling center, Will finally gave in.  That was when Will met Dr. Guerra.  She sat down with Will and they talked for a bit; they discussed what counseling was, its advantages and disadvantages, and it was the first time that Will felt like he wasn’t being judged or patronized.  He felt like she was talking to him as an equal; she didn’t dumb it down for him, she didn’t treat him like a child, and she used medical terms that Will understood.  They discussed antidepressants, too; they talked about how SSRIs worked and she offered to refer him to a psychiatrist, which he accepted.  The drugs – which were rooted in physiology rather than psychology – were easier for him to acknowledge than the counseling.

The counselor had given Will her card, said that she’d like to help him, and then told him to make an appointment for the next week at the front desk.

And Will did.

Will cleared his throat and looked back up at Nico.  He hadn’t told Nico that he’d gone to counseling yet.  By the time Nico had come back, Will wasn’t going as often; maybe once month or so.  He’d called his doctor a few times after the move to San Francisco, but never while Nico was around.  Will didn’t mean to keep it a secret and he wasn’t sure why he was so nervous about it.  After all, Nico already knew that Will took antidepressants.  Was the fact that he had a therapist much different?

“Can you promise me that you’ll keep thinking about the counseling?” Will asked.

Nico bit his lip, but nodded.  “Yeah.”

The conversation dwindled away after that and Will climbed back in bed with Nico.  They held on to each other quietly for a few hours, playing with each other’s hair and giving each other a few stray kisses, until the sun came up and they showered, got dressed, and then went down to the hotel lobby to grab breakfast before heading out. 

 

Nico and Will walked to DOA recording studios hand-in-hand.  They didn’t say much on the walk, nor did they when they entered the crowded waiting room.  Nico forced down the nausea he felt from being surrounded by so many of the deceased as he approached Charon, pulling Will along with him.  Charon recognized Nico and granted him entry immediately, but he was skeptical about Will until Nico passed him a bag of drachmas.  Charon accepted it greedily and waved Nico and Will into the elevator and a few seconds later they began their descent into the underworld. 

Nico avoided looking at the Styx when they reached it, but he could see Will staring into it out of the corner of his eye.  Sensing Will’s uneasiness, he squeezed his hand.  “It’s better if you don’t look,” he advised.

“It’s a mess,” Will said.  “Why is it a mess?”

“The Styx is filled with discarded hopes and broken dreams,” Nico whispered.  “Mementos; things that could have been, but never were.”

“Cheery,” Will muttered. 

“It’s better if you don’t look,” Nico repeated. 

When they reached land, Nico helped Will out of Charon’s ferry and looked at the three doors leading into the Underworld.  Cerberus towered over the lines of dead, slobbering and growling over them as he protected the entrance from intruders.  He didn’t remember seeing Cerberus on his way out – but then, he hadn’t been fully conscious at that point. 

“Cerberus,” Nico told Will, nodding to the three-headed dog.

Will squinted.  “Where?” he asked.  “I don’t see him.”

Nico sighed. “Yeah, he’s difficult for most people to see,” Nico admitted.  “He’s not fully visible to the living.  You’ll be able to see him as we get closer.  He’s not too fond of living people at first, but you’re with me, so you should be fine.”

He approached the gates and when they got closer, Will whispered, “ _Oh._ Now I see him.”

Nico glanced at Will, who looked fascinated rather than afraid.  “I’ll introduce you,” Nico said, pulling on Will’s hand.

 _That_ had Will’s face going pale.  “Uh, that’s really okay, Nico.  We can just walk past him.”

Nico grinned.  “He’s not so bad,” he said. 

Cerberus noticed them moving against the crowd and looked over.  All three heads cocked to the side when he saw Nico and then his tail started to wag, knocking over hundreds of the dead waiting for admission to the underworld. 

“Hey, Cerberus,” Nico greeted.  “Did you miss me?”

Three huge, wet noses sniffed at Nico and then the head on the right gave Nico a full-body lick, drenching him in dog saliva.  “Oh, that’s disgusting,” Nico mumbled, but Cerberus knocked him on his back, nuzzling him and sniffing him.  “Cerberus,  _stop!”_ Nico laughed, uselessly pushing at one giant, slimy nose.  To the side, Will laughed. Cerberus looked over at him and growled.   _“Easy,_ boy,” Nico said.  “He’s a friend.”

One of Cerberus’ heads regarded Nico, then another head barked and all three turned their attention to Will, sniffing and licking and leaving Will even more soaking wet than Nico. 

“Nico!” Will laughed.  “Nico, you’ve got to make him stop!  He’s going to cuddle me to death!”

Nico let Will suffer for another minute before calling Cerberus off and then he patted one huge paw and promised to come back to see him soon before leading Will to the EZ Death gate.  Seeing Cerberus had lightened his mood, temporarily removing some of his anxiety and returning his heart rate to a normal rhythm. 

Until they got through the gate.

“Asphodel?” Will asked, looking at the crowd of mindless souls. 

Nico nodded, but he was looking in the opposite direction, towards the Judgment Pavilion, and remembering the last time he was there.  He pointed.  “That’s where judgment happens,” Nico whispered.  “That’s where I last saw him.”

Nico felt Will’s hand squeeze his.  He knew that Will was scared, too – it was his first time visiting the Underworld, after all – but Will was putting on a brave face for him.

“I used to think about taking you here,” Nico said, looking away from the Judgment Pavilion and staring at the cold ground in front of him as they walked towards Hades’ palace.  “I wanted to share it with you.  I wanted to take you to my room, I wanted to show you that Cerberus is really just like any other dog.  I wouldn’t take you anywhere dangerous; not into the gardens where you’d be tempted to eat, not through Asphodel, not through the Fields of Punishment.  We wouldn’t stay long.  I just wanted to show you around and introduce you to my father.”

“I didn’t know you wanted me to come along,” Will said.

“Well, I didn’t think you’d be too enthusiastic about visiting the Underworld,” Nico answered.

“I would’ve gone,” Will whispered.  “I would’ve been plenty enthusiastic about visiting a place that was important to you.”

Nico didn’t reply – he didn’t know how to.  He only squeezed Will’s hand, hoping that would convey a silent _thank you._

When they got to Hades’ palace, they found Persephone in her garden, tending to a pomegranate tree.  Nico greeted her politely; they didn’t get along spectacularly well, but prior to his death, they’d  _sort of_ come to an understanding.

Persephone curled her lip when she saw their dog-saliva-soaked clothes, then she waved her hand and they were immediately dried.  She looked at Will like she was sizing him up and remarked that it was interesting that Nico had decided to bring him – and that it would be even more interesting to see what her husband thought of him.  She waved Nico inside and said that his father was waiting for him.  “You’re all he’s been talking about since I came for the season,” Persephone remarked.  “It’s gotten quite tiresome.”

Nico took a deep breath and led Will past the skeletal guards, whose glowing eye sockets got a bit brighter with interest when they saw him.  He swallowed when he walked inside and saw his father pacing through the throne room, wearing those shadowy robes made of souls woven together, his hair as dark as onyx and skin paper-white.

Hades looked up at Nico’s entrance and then his bottomless black eyes rested on Will.

“You’ve brought a friend, I see,” he said.

Nico repressed his irritation at  _that_  being the first comment that his father made.  He tightened his grip on Will’s hand.  “Will,” he said.  “This is Will.  He’s my–”

“Yes, I know, and I’m rather irritated that it took you so long to introduce me,” Hades said, looking Will up and down and tapping his chin in thought.  Nico frowned.  After three years in the Fields of Punishment, _this_ was the conversation that Hades wanted to have?  _This_ was how Hades was going to talk to him?  It was almost worse than  Hades telling him he had a job.  It was like Hades was dismissing him, not only blowing off Nico’s feelings – Hades was completely disregarding Nico’s _usefulness._ And that brought back memories of Bianca, of how Hades had explicitly told Nico that he was a failure and he wished _Bianca_ had been the child who had survived. 

But Hades was stuck with Nico.  In fact, it was Hades’ fault that Nico was around at all.  So Nico felt like he at least deserved a bit more recognition than ‘you brought a friend.’

Hades was still looking Will over.  “A son of Apollo, then?  I suppose you’re better than that Jackson boy.  I won’t throw you in the dungeon just yet.”

Will went pale.  “I...uh...thank you, sir.”

Hades nodded like he approved of Will’s answer.

Nico sighed.  “It’s a joke,” he told Will.  “I think.”

Hades didn’t clarify; instead, he turned his attention back to Nico.  “I’ve been waiting for you.  There are a few things that we need to discuss.  I thought it was time that we talk, now that you’ve recovered so substantially.”  Hades nodded to Will as he said that, like he was acknowledging that Will deserved some credit for that.  “I know you probably aren’t happy with me,” Hades told Nico. 

Nico wasn’t. 

“Why did you send Alecto?” he finally asked, unable to completely keep his anger from showing up in his tone, because there had been a piece of him that had been bothered by the fact that Hades hadn’t called to Nico himself.  Hades used to contact Nico directly, unless he was very busy; sometimes in Nico’s dreams and other times in real life.  Nico didn’t think he could be blamed for wanting a bit of his father’s attention – after all, he would have thought that Hades might have had enough of a personal interest in Nico’s recovery that he could have gone to see Nico himself.  “Why didn’t  _you_ come?”

“Ah,” Hades said, and he looked contemplative at the question.  “I wasn’t sure that you’d want to see me.”

Nico furrowed his brow in frustration.  “I didn’t,” he said, only partly believing his own answer.  He _didn’t_ want to confront Hades, but was hurt that Hades hadn’t paid him any attention.  “I didn’t want to come here, either.”

Hades inclined his head.  “Understandable,” he said, although Nico doubted he understood at all.  “But I thought it would be better to extend an invitation rather than encroach on what you consider to be your territory.”

Nico nodded.  That was surprisingly well thought out; if Hades had shown up in San Francisco in the home he’d made with Will, Nico would have perceived it as a threat or an attack.  True, Alecto had frightened him - especially because she’d despised Nico since his resurrection - but if Hades, the god of the Underworld, had shown up, Nico would have thought that it was over for him; that Hades had come to drag him back down to the underworld and was going to force Nico into that world of nothingness again.

“I wanted to apologize,” Hades suddenly said, and Nico looked up in surprise.  “The task I gave you,” Hades went on, as if he’d known what Nico had been thinking about.  “I didn’t realize how terrible it would be.  When I gave you that task, I was trying to give you something that would be unpleasant, but not horrible.  My thought was to do something that mimicked Asphodel; something that wasn’t quite a punishment, but  _did_ deprive all rewards.  I didn’t realize that by leaving you with your sense of self, the nothingness would drive you mad.”

“It reminded me more of the jar than of Asphodel,” Nico whispered before he could stop himself; that was something he’d thought about more than once.  Like his imprisonment in the bronze jar by Otis and Ephialtes, during the three years of his task, Nico had been alone, cut off from the entire world, and unable to move.  But it had been so much worse than that.  Inside the jar, there had been darkness.  There had been the slow, excruciating pain of suffocation.  There had been the pomegranate seeds counting down the days he had to live, filling him with terror each time he woke up from his death trance to eat one and realized what little time he had left.

The three years that he’d spend in that empty punishment had  _nothing._ Nothing to mark the passage of time; even though the seeds had marked the days until his death, the dread they had filled him with was so much better than that.  He had felt no physical sensations.  He’d wished for  _any_ kind of touch at all; even if it had been painful, it would have been a welcome reprieve from that lack of feeling.  He hadn’t even been aware of his own body.  He couldn’t tell where his hands and feet were, or if he even  _had_ hands and feet.  Nico’s sight had completely gone; he had not even seen darkness.  There had simply been  _nothing_ to see.  There had been nothing to smell, nothing to touch, nothing to taste.   _Nothing._

Hades nodded.  “By the time I’d realized how wrong I was to give you that task, it was too late.  I couldn’t go back on my word.”

“Do you have a job for me?” Nico asked, not wanting to discuss those three years anymore.  “Because I’m retiring from all this demigod business.  As much as possible, anyway.  I can’t keep going on quests or doing jobs for the gods – I  _can’t.”_

“I figured as much,” Hades said, his voice sounding almost sad.  “Although I did offer you a pretty good retirement plan.”  His eyes briefly flickered to where Elysium could be seen through the windows of his palace. 

Nico shook his head.  “I’m not ready for that retirement just yet.”

Hades observed Nico for a moment, his dark, endless eyes scrutinizing Nico as though he were searching for something.  “You’re not,” Hades agreed.  “Believe me, I hear plenty of protests about how someone isn’t ready to die, about how it was a mistake and they have so much left to do – but you were right.  You  _weren’t_  ready.  You still have more to offer to the upper world.”

“I just hope there won’t be another apocalypse,” Nico muttered.

“Oh, there will be,” Hades guaranteed.  “There’s always another.  But hopefully not until after your retirement.  The big one, I mean.”  Hades nodded towards Elysium.  “Anyway, I hope you won’t have to deal with that one.  And you, young man,” he said, turning to Will.

Will looked surprised that Hades had addressed him.  “Yes, sir?”

A smirk slowly appeared on Hades’ face.  He looked at Nico.  “He calls me ‘sir,’” Hades said.  “I like this one.”  Nico was bewildered, but Hades returned his attention to Will before Nico could reply.  “When Nico asked me to restore his life, at first I thought it was the rambling of a lovesick child because he was no longer with you,” he said.  “But then I realized that Nico was  _right._ He  _wasn’t_ done with his life.  There was still something more for him to do above ground.  And you, Will Solace, are going to be a part of that.  I restored Nico to a living body, but my power cannot restore his life.  Only Nico, and the people who love him, can do that.  I am relying on you to continue to help my son.”

Will’s eyes were wide and his mouth closed and opened like he was trying to figure out how to respond, but Hades had already turned to Nico.  “Nico, I know that you are afraid I will ask you to come back here.  I know you’re afraid of doing favors for me like you did before.  I am not going to.  This world is not where you should be anymore.  In this life I have granted you, your new quests take place among the living.  I want to see you live this life to the fullest.  So take care, make your choices count, and keep being the hero that we all know you are.  And remember, not all heroes fight wars.”  Hades paused.  “Although I would like it if you came to visit every now and then.”

Nico’s eyes wandered over the room and he thought back to how happy Cerberus had been to see him, just like a normal dog greeting their master.  He thought about how a part of him still felt  _natural_ down there.  But he also looked out the windows, where the Field of Punishment could be easily viewed, and shivered.  He thought about that jolt of terror that had passed through him as he’d walked by the Judgment Pavilion.

“I can do that,” he said, despite his fear.  “Every now and then, I can do that.”  Because he  _could._ He could face his memories of his three-year task and move forward; he could relearn that death wasn’t something to be afraid of and that the Underworld wasn’t an evil place. 

That was something Nico was willing to do, and not only for the god who had restored his soul to a living body; he was willing to do it for himself.

 

When they left the Underworld and returned above ground, Will spend a few minutes drinking in the sunshine, loudly offering his praises to his father for making the earth warm and bright.

“Not the most hospitable place for the living, is it?” Nico said, stepping up next to him. 

“Not as bad as I feared it might be, though,” Will said.  “You’ve got dogs, so it can’t really be that bad.”

Nico laughed, scuffing the toe of his boot on the ground.  “I don’t think that many other people would be too excited about the dog,” he said.  “Want to get something to eat?”

They went to a burger joint down the street and Nico took the tomatoes off Will’s burger and gave him his lettuce; a system that they’d worked out before they’d even started dating.  He chatted about how he was glad to have gotten that over with and how maybe he could take Will again sometime – not anytime soon, and they wouldn’t go very often, since he doubted that would be good for Will’s health, but he liked having Will there – and Will promised he’d go with him again.

They spent the rest of the day walking through the city and visiting tourist spots, enjoying the sun and soaking in its warmth.  They ate a light dinner before returning to the hotel for the night, deciding to get to bed early so that they could drive back to San Francisco the next morning.

“Are you really okay?” Will asked from the bed as Nico was toweling his hair dry after taking a shower.  “You aren’t just putting on a brave face, are you?”

Nico gave the question some consideration as he shook out his hair and hung the wet towel up.  “I’m really okay,” he said as he walked to the sink to brush his teeth.  “I actually feel a lot better now.”

He felt Will’s eyes on him as he brushed his teeth and when he looked in the mirror at Will’s reflection, he saw that he looked contemplative, like he was trying to figure out if Nico was telling the truth.  Nico sighed and climbed into bed next to Will when he finished at the sink.  “I’m  _okay,_ Will,” he repeated. 

“Promise?” Will asked. 

“Promise,” Nico said, pecking Will’s lips.  “I’ll admit that I feel kind of...confused.  I have a lot to think about.  But I’m okay.  And I’m really grateful that you came with me.”

Will smiled and put one arm around Nico, guiding him so that he was sitting beside him with his back against the headboard of the bed.  “I’m glad you asked me,” Will said.  “Nico, I’m so  _proud_ of you.  And, yeah, I’d imagine that it’s confusing!  But what you did, deciding to go back there, that was  _amazing._ I just...I really admire you, Nico.  You’re kind and brave and strong and I just don’t know how you do it.  You’re _incredible,_ Nico.  You’re really something special.”

Nico looked up at Will, unsure how to respond, but then he pulled himself up onto his knees, straddled Will’s thighs, and kissed him.  He didn’t know how to tell Will that he felt the same way about  _him,_ that he admired Will’s brightness and the strength of his spirit, that Will inspired him to be better, and that he felt honored that Will woke up and chose to be with him every day.

“You’re my everything,” he whispered, and then he kissed Will again. 

Will accepted the kiss, his arms automatically going around Nico and pulling him closer against his chest.  He opened up for Nico and when Nico grabbed his cheeks and deepened the kiss, he gasped into Nico’s mouth.  He moaned when Nico kissed down his jaw and neck and lifted his arms when Nico started to pull off his shirt.  Nico’s hands danced over Will’s bare chest as he captured Will’s lips again.  He loved the warmth of Will’s skin beneath his hands, loved the way he could feel Will’s chest heaving, the way Will’s hot lips pressed against his....

“N-Nico, no – _stop _,”__  Will choked suddenly, and Nico drew back in surprise.

“Will?” he asked, having no idea what had happened.  Everything had seemed fine.  Nico hadn’t picked up on any discomfort.  And that was terrifying; what if Will hadn’t spoken up?

“Not here,” Will whispered.  “I...I don’t want it here.”

Nico blinked, slowly coming to understand that there was a deeper problem there that he hadn’t picked up on before.  Thinking back, Nico realized that since they’d started sleeping together again, he and Will hadn’t had sex anywhere besides Will’s apartment in New Rome and their new apartment in San Francisco, starting with the night that Will had told him that he wanted their second ‘first time’ to be in the comfort of the bed where they slept together.  Actually, Nico realized, their sex life had been fairly vanilla so far.  

Not that he was complaining, of course.

“What’s going on in your head, Will?” Nico asked, assuming it had to do with the guilt that still sometimes resurfaced.  “You can tell me,” he added, reaching for Will’s shirt to hand it back to him.  “It’s okay.  I promised you wouldn’t have to deal with it alone, remember?” 

Will nodded and he pulled his shirt back over his head.  “It’s...I don’t like being in places like this,” he said.  “It feels dirty.  It feels like something as clean and beautiful as what we have shouldn’t be in a place like this.”

“Why do you think this is dirty?” Nico asked.

Will avoided Nico’s eyes.  “It feels like it’s...I dunno.  Cheapening us somehow.  Cheapening what we are.”

“Okay,” Nico said.  “So do you only want to have sex at home from now on?”

“I mean, I....”  Will pushed out his lower lip and huffed, his breath making his bangs flutter.  “That sounds like I’m sentencing us to boring sex forever.”

“I’ll take boring,” Nico offered.

That finally got a smile out of Will, however brief it might have been.  Will rubbed his eyes with his hands.  “For a while, I...I used sex as a way to cope, you know?  I wasn’t doing it for enjoyment.  I didn’t like it.  I just did it to make myself feel less...empty.  Or maybe to make myself feel so terrible and disgusting and guilty that it took my mind off how much I hurt.  It was horrible, Nico.”  He reached for Nico’s hand and Nico granted it, lacing his fingers with Will’s.  “Does this bother you?” he asked.  “Should I not talk about this?”

“No, it’s okay,” Nico assured.  “I want to understand.”  And he did - Nico wanted Will to open up to him and he wanted Will to feel comfortable talking to him when he had trouble.

Will swallowed.  “Okay.  I...I get scared still, sometimes,” he admitted.  “I get scared that I’ll close my eyes and you won’t be there anymore.  I’m scared of the memories.  When I was...you know, sleeping around, I...the sex wasn’t good.  It didn’t feel good.  It was always quick and there were never any feelings.  I never brought anyone home.  It was always at their place, or some back alley or public restroom or hotel.  I couldn’t bring anyone back.  I couldn’t let anyone in our bed.  I couldn’t even...I slept on the couch.”

 _“Will,”_ Nico whispered sadly.

“Truth be told, Nico, I had a really shitty libido at the time.  I wasn’t remotely interested in sex apart from how guilty it made me feel and the physiological high it gave me.”  Will paused.  “I’m sorry, I’m not making sense.  It didn’t make sense to me at the time, either.  I thought that something about me was just...broken.  That  _I_ was a problem.  It was my fault because I couldn’t deal with losing you.  Because I was weak.  Because I was flawed.”

“You’re not,” Nico cut in.  He’d never once thought that.  But Nico knew the feeling; he knew what it was like to think of himself as weak and dysfunctional.  He’d never wanted Will to feel that way.

“I’m starting to believe that,” Will said with a smile.  He squeezed Nico’s hand.  "Anyway, I think a part of me will always have trouble with intimacy.  After everything that happened...well, I won’t forget how I felt then.  I won’t forget how much sex made me feel disgusted by myself.”

“Will, I never want to make you feel that way,” Nico said.  “I’m so sorry.”

“You’ve never made me feel like that,” Will said.  “It’s different with you.  With you, it’s not sex.  With you, I make love.  But....”  Will trailed off and sighed.  “Some things remind me of that period of my life too much.  That’s why I get nervous when I can’t see you or hear you.  That’s why I don’t want to have sex here.  That’s why I like it at home.  Home is...special.  It’s ours.”

Nico reached out and gently combed his fingers through Will’s hair.  Will turned into the touch and kissed the inside of Nico’s wrist.  “Why haven’t you tell me this before?”

“I...I didn’t want to sound like I was making excuses,” Will admitted.  “I didn’t want it to seem like I was trying to make myself out to be some tragic hero because I’m  _not_ and....”

Nico quickly pulled Will into a hug.  “It’s okay,” Nico said.  “We can just cuddle for tonight.”

Will nodded into Nico’s shoulder.  “Thank you,” he said quietly.  He allowed himself to relax in Nico’s arms and didn’t speak until a few moments later.  “Nico?  Does it bother you at all when I talk about it?  Be honest.”

Nico sighed.  “I mean, a little, yeah,” he admitted, loosening his hold to look at Will’s face.  He slid his hands down Will’s arms and wove their fingers together.  “It’s sad to think about how much it still bothers you.  It’s sad to think about how much pain my death caused you.  And maybe it makes me a little nervous, a little self-conscious, and a little jealous when I remember that the only person I’ve ever had is you, but I’m not the only one you’ve had.”  He drew Will’s hands to his lips and kissed them.  “But it’s okay,” he added quickly.  “I know that I’m the one you’re with now.  I’m the one you want.  I’m the only one you’ve ever made love to.  When you tell me about what happened, it makes me feel like I’m helping you move on.  It makes me feel like you really trust me.  So don’t think that it’s bothersome when you talk about it; I’d be a lot more bothered if you didn’t.”  He smiled kindly before kissing Will’s knuckles again.  “So, no hotel rooms.  Want to talk about places that you  _would_ be okay with?”

Will smiled with the ghost of a laugh.  “Okay,” he said, sounding only marginally apprehensive. 

“So, home is good,” Nico said.  “Are you okay with the shower?”

Will flushed.  He drew his hands out of Nico’s and hid his face behind his palms.  “Nico, maybe we should have this conversation later,” he said.  “It’s kind of turning me on.”

Nico laughed.  “Ok, yeah, good point.”

Will rested his hands in his lap, but avoided making eye contact.  “But, yeah.  Showers are good,” he mumbled.  Gnawing at the inside of his cheek, he added, “I might be more open to more down the road.  I’ll get more comfortable – I _know_ I will.  But I think it’ll always be special to me in our own bed.”

“Hey, our bed is special to me, too,” Nico assured.  “And if you get more comfortable, we’ll worry about it then.  Right now, you aren’t – and that’s fine.”

Will smiled and thanked Nico and Nico kissed his cheek before urging him to lie down.  Will sighed as Nico pulled him against his chest, resting his hands on top of Nico’s arms.

And when they were back inside their apartment the next day, Nico looked at Will over dinner and said, “So, we were discussing shower sex the other day?”

Will promptly removed their clothes and pulled Nico into the shower, then fell to his knees and sucked Nico off until Nico was gasping, his knees buckling and his hands fisted in Will’s hair, and then crying out as he came down Will’s throat.  And when Nico used his hand when Will asked for it, Will felt like he was drowning in how good it felt, with the hot steam warming his body, droplets of water sliding down his skin, and Nico’s firm grip as he stroked him off while he kissed Will like it was the only thing in the world that he wanted.

* * *

Thanksgiving came a few weeks after they got home.  Nico and Naomi decided together that they’d order barbecue turkey, but Nico would cook the side dishes.  The Solace Thanksgiving tradition lived on, but with an added flair of di Angelo.

“I’ve been thinking,” Nico said a few days after Naomi had flown back to Texas.  It was late on a Friday night and Nico was pulling on an oversized t-shirt to sleep in as Will walked into their bedroom.

“About what?” Will asked.

Nico took a deep breath and he turned around to face Will before answering.  “About the counseling.”

Will’s expression blanked, but then he grinned happily.  “You have?” he asked.

Nico nodded.  He  _knew_ that Will wanted him to go to a counselor – Will wanted it  _desperately._ That was why Nico was even considering it; the idea was scary to him, but if Will was that passionate about it and that sure that it would help Nico, Nico was willing to at least put some thought into it.

“I mean, I’m not sure about it yet,” Nico said.  “But I have given it some thought.  Right now, I feel like I’m okay, but I know that I won’t  _always_ feel this way.  It’s like you said – it would be irresponsible of me to assume that I’m just going to keep getting better.  So, I’m thinking about it.”

“Okay,” Will said.  “That makes me feel a lot better.”

“It just kind of scares me, you know?” Nico said.  The truth was it scared him a lot.  A part of him wanted to do it; he believed that if Will suggested it, it would help.  He also knew that Will was right; the two of them would always need help from people besides each other.  Will would always be there for him, but he was also studying to become a doctor and he sometimes had his own problems.  Nico needed another voice of reason.  Maybe his other friends could be that for him, but they also had their own lives and they weren’t trained to help people deal with depression and anxiety.

But the idea still terrified him.  Nico had never been to a counselor before – even when he’d gotten back to Camp Halfblood after Gaea.  What if he didn’t like it?  What if someone found out that he had that kind of doctor?  What would they think of him?

“I’m...I’m  _really_  scared,” he admitted.

“Of what?” Will asked.  “Of people finding out?  Of it not going well?”

Nico nodded vaguely.  He felt scared of all of it.

“The only people who will know are the ones you tell,” Will said.  “And if it doesn’t go well, you don’t have to go back.  We can even find a different doctor.  Nico, we’d find you someone good.  There are lots of doctors in New Rome – ones who you can  _really_ talk to.  Half-bloods and legacies.”

Nico sighed, avoiding Will’s eyes.  “Will, I...you know I don’t do well with new people.  I don’t open up to them.  I don’t trust them.  I get scared and defensive and I don’t know how to act around them.”

“Yeah, okay.  You’re not comfortable with strangers, I get that,” Will said.  He nodded as he spoke, then thought quietly for a second – actually trying to come up with a solution.  Nico loved him for that.  He never told Nico that Nico was wrong for being shy and introverted; while he did encourage him to be more social and form good friendships, Will always did his best to keep Nico comfortable.  Nico thought  Will might offer to go in with him for the first few sessions – Nico had considered that while he was thinking about the therapy.  He knew that if he asked for company, Will wouldn’t leave him alone.  But Nico wasn’t sure that he wanted that; he wasn’t sure he could open up with that many sets of ears listening, even if one of those sets belonged to Will.  Sometimes, Nico needed the closeness and security provided by only talking to one person at a time.

When Will spoke again, though, it wasn’t what Nico had been expecting.  “Then what about the friend of a friend?” he suggested.  “What if I take you to see  _my_ doctor?”

Nico’s head snapped up at those words, certain he must have misunderstood.  “You...you have a doctor?” Nico asked in an unsteady voice.

“I don’t go as often anymore,” Will said.  He moved to sit on the bed and gestured for Nico to sit down beside him.  “But I call her every now and then, when I feel like I need help.  I went through a really rough time, Nico.  I was in a  _bad_ place.  I didn’t know how to live without you, and I...I wasn’t so sure I wanted to.”

Nico covered his mouth, his eyes starting to burn with the threat of tears as he took a seat next to Will and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Probably for the same reason that you’re resisting seeing a therapist now,” Will said.  “I was embarrassed.  I’m  _still_  embarrassed.”  Putting his arm around Nico, he kissed the top of his head.  “For some reason, it’s okay if you tell someone that you went to see a doctor because you broke an arm, but if you tell someone you go to a doctor because you’re clinically depressed?  That’s something else entirely.  It shouldn’t be that way, but it is.”

“But you’re....”  Nico broke off, swallowing.  Because Will – Will Solace, Nico’s personal ray of sunshine – dealt with the darkness, too.  And sometimes, Will needed help.  “You’re just like me.”

“You’ve known that I take antidepressants,” Will pointed out.  “Why does this surprise you so much?”

Nico bit his lip.  “I don’t know.  I....”  He felt his eyes start burning, his chest swelling rapidly.  “Oh, gods, why am I  _crying?”_

Will hushed him and pulled him into his lap.  He wrapped his arms around Nico, holding him close to his chest.  “Nico–”

“I’m just so  _happy,”_ Nico said, desperately trying to dry his eyes.  “Oh, gods, Will, you’re _just like me._ I’m _not alone.”_   He gave up trying to stop his tears and clung to Will tightly, because if  _Will_ had had the same problems – the panic attacks, the inability to fix himself, that immobile lack of motivation – it meant that Nico  _wasn’t_ weird or broken.  And if  _Will_ needed help from a trained doctor every now and then, there was nothing wrong with Nico needing help, too. 

“Yes,” Will said, combing through Nico’s hair.  “Just like you.”

Nico pulled back far enough to kiss Will, sliding his hands around his neck.  “I love you,” he whispered.  He wasn’t sure if he’d ever felt as close to Will as he did in that moment.  What Will was saying – admitting to his own embarrassment, blatantly stating that he struggled with depression – it was like he was voicing the words that Nico wanted to say.  Will _understood._ “I love you so much,” he said.   _“_ _Thank you.”_ He captured Will’s lips again, kissing him over and over, then put his hands on Will’s shoulders and pushed him down to the bed.  “Can we?” he asked, his hands fluttering to the buttons of Will’s shirt.  Because he felt more love in his heart right then than he knew what to do with and he felt like he needed to touch Will’s body – needed to see him, needed to feel him, needed to hold Will’s body in his arms and  _show_ him all the love that he held in his heart.

Will nodded.   _“Yes,”_ he breathed, and Nico crashed his lips against Will’s again, whispering over and over that he loved him. 

“Nico,” Will murmured as Nico kept kissing him, kept stealing the warmth of his lips....

“Nico, hold on,” Will said, putting a hand on Nico’s shoulder.  “I’m trying to tell you something.”

Nico pulled back in surprise, but Will was smiling at him.  He wiped the backs of his fingers over the wetness around Nico’s eyes.  “Nico,” he said carefully, “I want  _all_ of you.  I want you to take  _all_ of me.”

Nico’s breath caught.  “Do you mean...?”

Will nodded.  “I’m ready if you are,” he said.

Nico swallowed.  “Yeah.  We can...which way do you want it?” he asked, because he was alright with either position.

“I want you to top first,” Will answered.  “We’ll switch.  I just want you to do it first – I want to be vulnerable for you.  I need to feel like I’m giving you everything and I need to know that you’ll accept.”

Nico took Will’s face in his hands and kissed him, peppering his face with soft pecks from his lips.  “I’m going to take care of you,” he whispered.  “I’m going to love you – I’m going to make it so good, Will.”

His lips sealed over Will’s as his fingers continued to undo the buttons on Will’s shirt, pushing it off Will’s shoulders and tossing it off the bed when he was done.  After removing his own shirt, he took a moment to look at the golden skin of Will’s chest laid out beneath him.  If Will was offering him  _everything,_ he was going to accept  _all_ of it and he’d treat him like the precious gift he was. 

“I love you,” he whispered, kissing from Will’s sternum down to his belly button.  His lips grazed over the tight muscles of Will’s abdomen as his hands moved down Will’s sides.  He drank in the sounds of Will’s gasps and sighs, chasing after each noise Will offered up with more kisses, more licks, more caresses, more  _love._

When Nico looked up at Will and asked if he could undress him, Will smiled, nodded, and he helped Nico take off his pants and underwear before undressing Nico, too.  Nico fell back over Will when they were both naked and kissed his chest and belly, whispering that Will was beautiful and kind and good.

“And you’re all mine,” he said, pressing his cheek against Will’s chest and hugging him tightly.

Will smiled, his fingers combing through Nico’s hair.  “All yours,” he repeated.  “I’m all yours.”  Will’s fingers traced over Nico’s jaw and guided Nico’s face up to kiss him.  “Go ahead, Nico,” he said.  “Take me.”

Nico nodded and leaned over Will, reaching to rummage through the nightstand until he found the bottle of lube.  They hadn’t done this yet – not this go around, at least.  Years ago, when Nico and Will were in college, there had been no part of each other’s bodies that was left untouched, but in the past several months that they’d been relearning each other and falling in love all over again, this was one of the things they hadn’t gotten to quite yet.  They hadn’t started exploring _inside_ each other – until now.

Nico kissed Will as he opened the bottle and drizzled a large amount on his fingers – too much, if he were honest, but he wanted to make this smooth and comfortable – rubbing his fingers around to get it warm before moving his hand down Will’s body.  “You good?” he asked before touching him.

Will nodded, draping his arms around Nico’s neck.  “Yeah,” he said.  When Nico’s wet fingers touched him, he hissed.  “Cold,” he whispered.

“Sorry, I tried to warm it a bit,” Nico said, pecking Will’s lips in apology.

“S’okay,” Will said, fingers curling in Nico’s hair.  “It’ll get better.” 

Will pulled Nico down for another kiss and Nico granted Will his lips while his fingers massaged at Will’s entrance gently – not pushing in just yet, instead working to relax Will and get him used to the feeling of being touched.  Will sighed into Nico’s mouth.  “Is it alright?” Nico asked. 

“Yes,” Will said.  “It’s good.  You can open me up now.”

Nico pressed his forehead against Will’s as he started to push in the first finger.  He watched the look of surprise that crossed his face and saw his cheeks flush red.

“Okay?” Nico asked, stilling with his finger pushed in to the first knuckle.

“Feels a little weird, but okay,” Will said.  “Just...haven’t done this in a long time.  I’m not really used to it.”

“Then we’ll make it good, okay?” Nico said, because he wanted to be good for Will.  He wanted to make Will moan and cry out his name, wanted Will to remember how good sex was when it was filled with love.

He moved his finger inside Will slowly, not pushing very far inside at first. When he felt Will’s body start to relax and saw that his flaming cheeks had settled down to a gentle pink, he prodded in a little further.  Will’s gasps turned into sighs as his cock slowly started to respond to the attention and then he cried out loudly when Nico curled his finger deep inside him.

“Oh gods,” Will said, covering his mouth with an embarrassed blush as Nico kissed down his neck.  “Oh gods, I forgot how  _good_ that felt.”

Nico smiled into Will’s neck, rubbing Will’s rim with a second finger.  “Okay for another yet?” he asked.

“Yes,” Will said.  When Nico started to push in another finger, Will arched his back and gasped.  “Slow,” Will breathed, biting his lip as soon as the word was out.

Nico nodded in agreement – he’d do this slowly, so slowly that Will would go crazy with love, that he’d forget everything but  _them_ and the only thing that would matter was the feeling of their bodies moving together.

Will fisted his hand into Nico’s hair and pulled him in for a kiss, his sounds muffled by Nico’s mouth as Nico worked his fingers inside him.  “Talk to me,” he whispered.  “Gods, Nico, talk to me.”

Nico pecked his lips a few more times before saying anything.  “You’re gorgeous,” he told Will.  “You’re _beautiful,_ Will.  Do you know how pretty you look right now, blushing and clutching onto me like that?”

Will shuddered, his hole clenching around Nico’s fingers.  _“Nico,”_ he gasped.

“I’m going to make you feel so good,” Nico went on, twisting his fingers inside his boyfriend.  “Can you let me do that for you?  Can you feel good for me?”

 _“Yes,”_ Will whimpered.

“You’re doing so well, Will,” Nico said, spreading his fingers a bit inside Will.  Will gasped and bit his lip, muffling his moan.  “You look so good – you feel so good around my fingers.  You’re just opening up for me and I  _love_ it.  Gods, Will, I want  _everything.”_

“I’m yours,” Will gasped, and Nico hushed him with a kiss.

“Mine,” he agreed.  “Mine to pamper, mine to hold, mine to touch, mine to praise and spoil and  _love._ And I’m  _yours.”_

Will’s hips bucked forward as Nico stroked that sensitive spot inside him again.  “A-another,” Will stuttered, and Nico complied, adding a third finger inside Will.  Will bit his lip and groaned and Nico kissed his mouth until Will’s teeth released his lip. 

“Let me hear everything,” Nico whispered.  “You sound so pretty, Will.”

Will shuddered and tightened his arms around Nico’s neck, pressing his forehead against Nico’s shoulder.   _“Nico,”_ he sighed. 

Nico kissed his neck, his fingers slowly sliding in and out of Will.  “You feeling good?”

 _“Gods,_ yes,” Will said.  “So good, Nico.”  He cut off with a cry as Nico curled his fingers, clutching Nico tightly as noises spilled past his lips.  Nico kept his lips pressed against the junction between Will’s neck and shoulder, kissing him and gently running his teeth over Will’s skin.

“You make me feel like I’m burning up from the inside,” Nico murmured, his lips brushing against Will’s soft shoulder.  “I feel so _happy_ whenever I look at you, Will.  But when you look like this, I...I don’t know what to do.”

 _“Take_ me,” Will whispered.  “Nico, please, _please–”_

Nico pressed his lips to Will’s.  “Shh,” he hushed, but he didn’t stop moving his fingers inside Will.  “Just a little while longer.”  Will whimpered, so Nico kissed him again.  “I want to make sure it’s good for you, Will.  I don’t want you to be in any pain.  I want to make sure you’re ready.”

Will looked like he might pout, but he nodded.  He whined when Nico pulled his fingers out to coat them in more lube and then he sighed when Nico pushed them back inside him.  Nico kept his motions slow and smooth – to Nico, this wasn’t just about opening Will up.  This was about making Will feel good.  He watched Will try to restrain his voice as his hips started bucking and gyrating down on Nico’s fingers, admiring the way his whole face had turned red, the blush spreading from the tips of Will’s ears to the top of his chest.  Nico couldn’t see Will’s pretty freckles when he blushed like that, but it was worth it. 

“Nico,” Will moaned.  “Nico, I’m ready now.  Please, can you...?”

“Are you sure?” Nico asked.  He stopped moving his fingers, but didn’t pull out.

Will nodded.  “I’m pretty sure I’ll go crazy if you don’t get inside me,” he said, then, his face flushing to a blush so dark that it was almost purple, he added, “I don’t want to come until you’re in me.”

“We _can_ go twice,” Nico pointed out, kissing Will’s temple.

“Oh, I’m counting on it,” Will mumbled.  “I was just thinking that we’d switch places for the second time, if you want.”

Nico perked up, looking Will straight in the eye.  “Yeah?” he asked.

Will nodded.  “If you want,” he repeated, looking almost nervous.

Nico smiled.  “I want,” he said as he bent down to kiss Will’s lips.  He pulled his fingers out, sat up, and reached for the bottle of lube again.  When he slicked himself, he sighed at the contact of his hand on his own cock.  He’d ignored his own erection up until that point – had barely even noticed his own excitement because he’d been so distracted by Will.

Tossing the bottle aside, Nico lined up at Will’s entrance.  He bent down to kiss Will before saying, “I’m going to push in now.” 

Will nodded, his arms going back around Nico’s neck.  Nico met a bit of resistance from Will’s rim, but Nico had been fingering him open for so long that he slid easily once inside.  Will cried out beneath him, his fingers clawing at Nico’s back.  Nico wrapped his arms around Will’s waist and hugged him close.  When he was halfway inside, he stilled and pressed his forehead against Will’s, giving him time to adjust and kissing Will over and over until he felt Will start to relax around him.

“Okay?” Nico asked.

 _“Yes,”_ Will gasped. 

“You feel so good,” Nico said, his voice coming out strained.  He clutched Will’s waist tightly, pressing his cheek against Will’s as he breathed into his ear.  “Did it always feel this good?”

Will shook his head.  “Never this good,” he said, his fingernails digging into Nico’s back.  “Oh,  _gods,_ I love you.  More than I ever have.”

Nico choked on the air he was breathing before kissing Will’s lips.  “I don’t think I’ve ever been this in love before,” he admitted.  “C-can I move, Will?”

“Yes,” Will said.   _“Please._ Nico,  _please,_ make love to me.  Show me that you love me.”

Nico pressed his lips against Will’s as his hips started to rock, keeping his thrusts slow and shallow.  Will felt warm and  _good_ , clenching around him and shuddering every time Nico moved, crying out every time Nico hit that spot.

Will’s legs wrapped around Nico, pulling him deeper inside, and Nico moaned as Will gasped, his head pressing into the sheets as his back arched and his chest pushed against Nico’s.  Nico kissed down his jaw and neck, licked at his pulse, and nuzzled against his chest.  Nico’s thrusts got deeper and faster and he moved his hands to grip Will’s hips so that he could get the leverage he needed to make Will feel good.

“Nico,  _please,”_ Will begged, clawing at Nico’s shoulder.   _“Please.”_

“What do you need?” Nico asked, rolling his hips to meet Will’s.

Will gasped.  “Kiss me.  Please, kiss me.”

Nico bent his head down to kiss Will, whispering against Will’s lips that he loved him, that he  _adored_ him, that Will was beautiful and perfect and he made Nico feel so happy.  Will clenched around him - and that was a feeling that Nico recognized, despite how long it had been – he remembered how tight Will got around him when he felt good, how Will’s breaths got quick, and how, when he felt especially good, Will’s eyes would tear up and he’d hold Nico so tightly it hurt.

“Nico, so  _good,”_ Will sobbed.

“Want to be good for you,” Nico gasped, capturing Will’s lips in a sloppy kiss.  “Wh-what can I do to make it  _better?”_

“Oh, gods, touch me.  Please,  _please,_ can you touch me?”

Nico didn’t stop kissing Will as he moved one hand to grip Will’s hard cock, stroking him of in time with his thrusts.  He was moving faster now.  There was no way Nico would be able to keep a slow pace – not with how tight Will was around him, not with the sounds he was offering up, and not with how passionately they were clinging to each other, desperate to touch and be touched, desperate to be good for each other, desperate to bring each other to that highest peak.

“I’m going to come,” Will gasped against Nico’s lips.  “I can’t – I can’t wait, I–”

Nico cut him off with a kiss.  “Okay.  I’ll take care of you,” he promised.

He stroked Will a few more times and then Will’s back was arching, crying out as he spilled over Nico’s knuckles and onto his chest, and Nico slowed his hips and held Will closely as he came down from his orgasm.

“Don’t stop,” Will whispered.  “Keep going – inside.  It’s okay, I want you inside.”

Nico hesitated, but captured Will’s lips again and thrust inside him.  He didn’t last long; he couldn’t hold out when Will was clenching around him so tightly and crying out at every movement of Nico’s body, his lips pressed firmly against Nico’s in a wet, sloppy kiss.  He moaned into Will’s mouth as he came, hugging Will close and shuddering until he was done.

Will held Nico so tightly it hurt and when they finally stopped kissing long enough to take a breath, they looked at each other and smiled and pressed each other into the mattress, kissing over and over until they managed to pull each other into the bathroom to wash off.  After a long shower, they fell back into bed together, laughing and kissing and feeling each other’s bodies under the sheets.  When, much later that evening, Nico rolled them over so that he was on top of Will, seated in his lap and riding him slowly, Will hadn’t stopped touching him, hadn’t kept his hands from roaming over Nico’s body, and he hadn’t stopped watching Nico in awe, like he couldn’t believe that Nico was real.

 

A few weeks later, over winter break, Will and Nico traveled to New Rome and Will took Nico to a counseling appointment they’d booked earlier in December.  When they got there, Will greeted a woman with dark hair and an infectious smile with a kiss to each cheek and then he took Nico’s hand and introduced them.

“Nico, this is Fatima Guerra,” Will said.  “Legacy of Apollo and Venus.  She’s going to be your doctor.”

Nico shook her hand and couldn’t help offering up a little smile of his own.  Will asked if Nico still wanted to do the appointment without him and Nico said yes.  His boyfriend smiled and nodded and reminded him that he’d be waiting right outside, and then Fatima led Nico back into her office.

And when his session ended an hour later, Nico went back into the waiting room wearing a peaceful smile.

“You were right,” he told Will.  “Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, _now_ I'm done. This fic is officially complete.
> 
> Thank you for sticking with this fic for the last two months! I'd love to hear back from you guys, so let me know what you thought. I always appreciate hearing how people respond to my work.
> 
> Stay tuned for new adventures! Love you guys! <3


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